Water system
Bellevue City
EPA ID OH3900011 · Huron County · 8,236 people served · owned by a local government
Bellevue City treats its own water from Frink Run & Berry Creek/Big Ditch runoff (own reservoirs); backup Lake Erie via Erie Co..
The system's record
Also purchases some water from Erie Co. Perkins District (Lake Erie (Sandusky Bay backup intake)).
- Water bodies
- Frink Run, Berry Creek (Big Ditch), Bellevue Reservoirs 1/3/4/5
- Raw intakes
- Reservoir
Frink Run
Big Ditch
Miller/berry Ditch - Serves
- 8,236 people · Huron County
- EPA ID
- OH3900011
About this area's water
Did you know
- Bellevue does not sit on a river or a lake - it built its own supply: city reservoirs holding roughly a billion gallons, filled by runoff from Frink Run and Berry Creek. (The city's plant page counts five reservoirs…
- Berry Creek runs entirely through karst limestone, so part of what Bellevue treats as surface water actually surfaced from underground first.
- The filtration plant in use today opened in 1937 and has been rebuilt piecemeal at least eight times since - 1955, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1985, 2002 and 2010.
- Bellevue buys at least 200,000 gallons a day of Lake Erie water from Erie County, and shuts the valve the moment the county issues a boil alert.
- Bellevue bills water by the cubic foot rather than the thousand gallons: $0.068136 per cubic foot, which works out to about $9.11 per 1,000 gallons.
History6
- 1872Bellevue's municipal water system began, drawing untreated deep well water.
- 1937The present surface-water filtration plant was put into operation, treating impounded Frink Run and Berry Creek runoff.
- 1955-2010The 1937 plant was upgraded repeatedly - the city lists work in 1955, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1985, 2002 and 2010.
- 1969Bellevue's Water Pollution Control (wastewater) plant was constructed.
- 1988First expansion of the wastewater treatment plant.
- 1994Second expansion of the wastewater treatment plant; design flow now 2.0 MGD.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Surface water impounded from city reservoirs fed by Frink Run and Berry Creek is treated at a plant with 3.0 MGD capacity. The 2025 CCR describes the process as lime softening, coagulation, sedimentation, stabilization, fluoridation, sand filtration and disinfection. The plant page lists the…
Source: bellevueohio.govbellevueohio.gov
Water pressure
About 65 psi average static pressure, across a distribution system of more than 47 miles of 4-inch to 12-inch main with 432 fire hydrants and three elevated tanks holding 1.3…
Source: bellevueohio.govbellevueohio.gov
What it costs
$9.11 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $57 a month for water.
Ordinance 20-20 schedule in effect for 2025. Water is billed per cubic foot, not per 1,000 gallons: $0.068136 per cf above a 200 cf minimum, with a minimum water charge of $20.44…
Source: bellevueohio.govbellevueohio.gov
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Running annual average. Individual results ranged 9.8-133 ppb, so single samples exceeded the 80 ppb MCL even though… | 68.75 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range 6.3-40.2. | 23.65 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Chlorine (as total Cl2) Range 1.61-2.23. | 1.92 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0-3.93. The one constituent Bellevue's CCR says the system has not always treated to standard historically. | 3.93 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.73-1.09. | 0.9 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (removal ratio) Range 2.04-2.72; compliant with TOC removal requirements. | 2.46 ratio | TT (must exceed… | 2025 |
| Turbidity Highest single reading; range 0.02-0.07; 100% of samples met the limit. | 0.07 NTU | 0.3 in 95% of… | 2025 |
| Atrazine Runoff from herbicide used on row crops. | 0.086 ppb | 3 | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 20 samples over the action level. | 0 ppb | 15 (AL) | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 20 samples over the action level. | 0.03 ppm | 1.3 (AL) | 2025 |
Source: bellevueohio.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2018Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.087 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
- 2017Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.087 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
EPA's count of 3 includes 1 repeat quarterly violation of the problems listed.
4 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Projects & plans5
Recent and current work
- Water treatment plant modernization program · 2010 · completed
The 1937 plant has been upgraded repeatedly - the city lists work in 1955, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1985, 2002 and 2010. No costs published. - Water Pollution Control Facility expansions · 1994 · completed
Wastewater plant built 1969, expanded 1988 and 1994; design flow now 2.0 MGD. No costs published. - Water main replacement projects · 2025 · completed
The 2025 CCR reports water main replacement projects were completed. No scope or cost published.
Source: bellevueohio.govbellevueohio.govbellevueohio.gov
Planned or needed
- Water meter change-out program · 2025 · under construction
The 2025 CCR states the meter change-out program 'is being completed.' No cost published. - Lead service line inventory completion · 2025 · under construction
The city maintains an online service line inventory map and is still collecting resident service-line forms; USEPA requires 100% known service line materials.…
Source: bellevueohio.gov
Supply stress
Bellevue's own supply is small and weather-exposed: it impounds runoff from Frink Run and Berry Creek - Berry Creek lies entirely within a karst limestone region, so part of its flow originates as groundwater - into up-ground reservoirs behind a 3.0 MGD plant. The city buys 200,000 gallons or more a day of Lake Erie water from Erie…
Source: bellevueohio.govbellevueohio.gov
Sewers
Sanitary
The City of Bellevue operates its own Water Pollution Control Facility, built in 1969 and expanded in 1988 and 1994: design flow 2.0 MGD, average daily flow 1.1 MGD, 24-hour peak flow 5.6 MGD. Treatment is bar screening, grit removal, primary clarification, activated sludge, nitrification towers, final clarification and UV disinfection…
Storm
No stormwater utility fee, combined sewer overflow program or separate storm sewer detail was found on the city's public pages.
Source: bellevueohio.govbellevueohio.gov
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Main supplier in 1 ZIP code
Serves
Main water supplier in 1 ZIP code
- 44811 · Bellevue64% of residents
Population-weighted resident shares; a ZIP code can have more than one system on record. Recomputed from each ZIP's own system list, not from the map's cached footprint.
Buys from · Sells to
Bellevue City does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from Bellevue City.
What the records show about Bellevue City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Bellevue City as owned by a local government. It has 3,332 service connections and serves 8,236 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
EPA's record says it has substantially implemented source water protection under Ohio's program, dating the program from 2023. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 419-483-4560.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Bellevue City: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, lime softening, powdered activated carbon, and sand or media filtration.
The list is what each system registered with EPA for treatment plants EPA still shows as active, and it can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Violations
EPA counts 3 health-based violations for Bellevue City since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. They fall into 2 separate problems (one contaminant or rule in one year); the table lists them all.
EPA logs a violation for each compliance period a problem lasts, so the count of 3 includes 1 repeat entry of the problems listed.
EPA logs 4 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.087 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | returned to compliance |
| 2017 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.087 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | returned to compliance |
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) violation records: health-based violations with compliance periods beginning in 2015 or later, all violations from 2020 or later (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at Bellevue City was 0 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027. A result of 0 means at least nine in ten of the homes sampled had no lead detected.
The highest result on file is 10 ppb, in the period ending December 2023.
EPA has 5 sampling periods on file for Bellevue City since 2016, the first ending in 2017; no period was above 10 ppb.
Every water system has to inventory its service lines, the pipes from the main to each building. In the inventory Bellevue City sent EPA, 3,223 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 2,354 |
| Not lead | 869 |
| All lines | 3,223 |
Systems sample taps in the homes most likely to have lead pipes or solder. The 90th-percentile result is the level nine in ten of the sampled homes were at or below. Lead comes mostly from service lines and house plumbing, not the source water, so a low result for the system does not clear an old house.
EPA's dashboard status for this inventory: reported all required service line types.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) lead and copper 90th-percentile results (EPA Envirofacts), sampling periods ending 2016 or later; EPA's service line inventory dashboard, Ohio's 2026 Q2 submission.
PFAS
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 5 samples of the water entering the pipes of Bellevue City in 2024 to 2025 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS result was PFBA 7.6 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Bellevue City (latest sample September 2020). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
Ohio EPA's current sampling status map lists 1 plant of Bellevue City as sampled, most recently May 2024.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | not detected | 4 ng/L |
PFAS are the 'forever chemicals' from firefighting foam, plating shops and non-stick coatings. Results are for water leaving the plant, not your tap.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026); Ohio EPA statewide PFAS sampling, 2019 to 2021, and its sampling status map.
Disinfection byproducts
Chlorine that disinfects water also reacts with organic matter to form byproducts. Two groups have federal limits: total trihalomethanes (TTHM, 80 µg/L) and five haloacetic acids (HAA5, 60 µg/L), judged on running yearly averages at each sampling site.
For TTHM, the average of Bellevue City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 39.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 71.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 121 µg/L, from 60 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 23.3 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 27.6 µg/L and the highest single sample was 40.6 µg/L, from 60 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 39.8 µg/L (2019) | 71.2 µg/L | 121 µg/L | 60 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 23.3 µg/L | 27.6 µg/L | 40.6 µg/L | 60 |
A yearly average of 0 means nothing was detected in that year's samples. EPA's file stops at 2019; Ohio EPA's Drinking Water Watch has newer results.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system samples (non-detects counted as zero).
Nitrate, arsenic and radioactivity
Nitrate: the highest of 97 samples was 5.4 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.52 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 8 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 97 | 5.4 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
Measured in finished water: at the plant's entry points and in the distribution system; raw well and intake samples are left out. Non-detects count as zero.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Solvents and fuels
EPA's file holds results for all six solvent and fuel compounds it checked. Benzene, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and vinyl chloride were not detected in 8 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
"Not detected" means the lab's result was below what its method can measure, not that the compound is absent. Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Farm chemicals and metals
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 1 of 8 samples, highest 11 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine in 12 samples, alachlor in 12 samples, chromium in 13 samples, cadmium in 13 samples, mercury in 8 samples, selenium in 8 samples, thallium in 8 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 1 of 8 | 11 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 866 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Bellevue City tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 109 did. E. coli was never found in the 861 samples tested for it.
A positive coliform test is a warning sign, not a violation by itself. E. coli is a sign that human or animal waste may have reached the water. Coliform counts are routine samples only; E. coli counts include repeat samples.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system presence/absence tests for total coliform and E. coli.
Fluoride
The Ohio Department of Health's report to the CDC (My Water's Fluoride) says Bellevue City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Bellevue City.
Measured fluoride: 0.88 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.75 to 0.94 mg/L across 8 samples in 2012 to 2019.
The recommended level for preventing tooth decay is 0.7 mg/L; the federal limit is 4 mg/L. The treatment list is what each system registered with EPA and can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: CDC My Water's Fluoride (fluoridation status as reported by the Ohio Department of Health, fetched September 2026); EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table; EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, entry-point fluoride samples.
Lithium
Lithium was not detected in 4 UCMR 5 samples at Bellevue City, last sampled in 2024 (the method reports from 9 µg/L).
Lithium is not regulated. EPA's draft health reference level is 10 µg/L, and it occurs naturally in deep groundwater, so well systems in the northwest run highest.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026), samples from 2023 to 2025.
Algal toxins
Ohio EPA tests for microcystin, a toxin that harmful algal blooms can release, in raw water at the intake and in treated water.
At the intake, microcystin was detected 27 times in 254 raw-water samples, across 9 bloom seasons (2016 to 2025); the highest raw-water result was 1.308 µg/L on June 6, 2017. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 0.566 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (139 samples).
In all, 393 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 254 | 27 | 1.308 µg/L |
| Treated water | 139 | 0 | not detected |
The ten-day advisory levels for treated water are 0.3 µg/L for children under six and 1.6 µg/L for everyone else. Any detection at the intake triggers more frequent testing until two clean weeks.
Source: Ohio EPA public water system harmful algal bloom monitoring, 2016 to present (HAB data, fetched September 2026).
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Bellevue City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $471 a year, about $39 a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $293 | not on file |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $471 | not on file |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $684 | not on file |
The survey lists it as “Bellevue”. These are inside-city rates and annual bills at the use shown.
Source: Ohio EPA 2023 Sewer and Water Rate Survey (Ohio State University, May 2025).
How well the service area is mapped
EPA estimated the service area of Bellevue City with a computer model rather than drawing it from the utility's map, so its edges are approximate.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 8,166 residents are inside the boundary, 99% of the 8,236 people Bellevue City reports serving.
The resident count is an estimate from 2020 Census ZIP-code populations, not a count of customers.
Source: EPA Service Area Boundaries; resident estimate by this atlas from ZIP-code overlap.
Photograph
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 1 ZIP code in all.
Sources
U.S. EPA SDWIS and Community Water System Service Area Boundaries (v3, 2026), Ohio EPA primacy data, 2020 census blocks: the system serving most residents, traced through purchases to the treating utility; Ohio EPA 2023 Sewer and Water Rate Survey (Ohio State, May 2025) for household bills; Ohio EPA DEFA loan awards since 2016 for the loans paragraph · EPA SDWIS · EPA service area boundaries · Ohio EPA drinking water · Ohio EPA rate survey
EPA's own record for this system: Enforcement and Compliance History report for OH3900011 (EPA ECHO).
Bellevue City's own pages: thenewcityofbellevue.com, bellevueohio.gov
Notable facts: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
History: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
Water quality: bellevueohio.gov
Planned work: bellevueohio.gov
Water pressure: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
Capital projects: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
Rates: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
Sewers: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
Treatment: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
Supply stress: bellevueohio.gov, bellevueohio.gov
