Water system
Northern Ohio Rural Water
EPA ID OH3902403 · Huron County · 18,224 people served · owned by a local government
Northern Ohio Rural Water buys its water from Lorain City.
The system's record
Also connected to Elyria Water Department (Lake Erie), New London Village (Buck Creek, impounded in New London's upground reservoir), used as a secondary or emergency supply.
- Water bodies
- Lake Erie
- Raw intakes
- Lorain Lake Erie
- Serves
- 64,152 people · Lorain County
- EPA ID
- OH4700711
About this area's water Lorain City
Did you know
- Lorain claims the first plant in the United States built expressly to filter all of a city's water for bacteria, authorized in 1896 after a deadly typhoid epidemic in 1893.
- Potassium permanganate is dosed right at the Lake Erie intake, not for people but to stop invasive zebra mussels from clogging it.
- Lorain has fed orthophosphate for corrosion control since 2010 and has pulled out about 1,500 lead service lines with nearly $2.5 million in Ohio EPA money.
- Lorain's emergency backups are Vermilion, Amherst and Sheffield Lake - all Lake Erie systems supplied by Elyria and Avon Lake. None sent Lorain any water in 2024.
History4
- 1884Lorain's first municipal water plant and distribution system began operating on untreated Black River water.
- 1893A typhoid epidemic struck Lorain, attributed to the lack of filtration.
- 1896A filtration plant was authorized; the city claims it as the first US plant built expressly to filter all of a city's water for bacteria.
- 2010The plant began feeding orthophosphate for corrosion control to keep lead from leaching out of service lines.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Potassium permanganate at the Lake Erie intake for zebra mussels, debris screening, chlorine at plant entry, alum coagulation, flocculation with caustic soda and powdered carbon, sedimentation, then GAC/sand/gravel filters; fluoride, chlorine and orthophosphate last.
Water pressure
Not published in the sources found.
What it costs
Not retrieved. The city's rates page returns 404 and neither water quality report lists rates, so no per-1,000-gallon figure could be confirmed.
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM (total trihalomethanes) Range 20.1-62.4 ppb; chlorination byproduct, no violation. | 51.4 ppb | 80 ppb | 2024 |
| HAA5 (haloacetic acids) Range 7-24.9 ppb; chlorination byproduct, no violation. | 24.3 ppb | 60 ppb | 2024 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Latest round. One site (LC235) hit 34 ppb, but 1 of 30 above the AL is not a violation. | ND ppb | 15 ppb (AL) | 2022 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 30 sites exceeded the action level. | 0.067 ppm | 1.3 ppm (AL) | 2022 |
| Nitrate Range ND-1.35; well below the limit. | 1.35 ppm | 10 ppm | 2024 |
| Fluoride Range 0.6-1.14; dental-health additive plus natural erosion. | 1.01 ppm | 4 ppm | 2024 |
| Turbidity Highest single reading; 100% of monthly samples met the limit. | 0.26 NTU | 0.3 NTU in 95%… | 2024 |
| E. coli All repeat samples were negative; not a violation. No such detection in the 2024 report. | 1 positive of… n/a | MCL not… | 2023 |
EPA compliance record · Northern Ohio Rural Water
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 4 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
EPA compliance record · Lorain City (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Projects & plans1
Recent and current work
- Lead Service Line Replacement Program · $2.5 million · under construction
Nearly $2.5 million in Ohio EPA principal forgiveness has funded removal of about 1,500 lead service lines to date.
Supply stress
Lake Erie supplies ample raw water with no quantity limit. The 2024 source water assessment names the nearby Black River, commercial shipping and boating spills, industrial and farm runoff, river dredging, urban stormwater, sewage discharges and combined sewer overflows as risks.
Sewers
Sanitary
Lorain Utilities runs water and sanitary sewer service, overseen by the city's Sewer and Water Advisory Board. The 2024 source water assessment names municipal and home sewage treatment discharges and combined sewer overflows in the Black River watershed as risks to the drinking water intake.
Storm
Neither the water quality report nor the city's water pages state how much of the system is separate versus combined, and we found no dedicated stormwater fee.
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Present in 1 ZIP code
Serves
No ZIP code has Northern Ohio Rural Water on record as its main water supplier.
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 44889 · Wakeman Township and Wakeman6% 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
Northern Ohio Rural Water buys its water from Lorain City.
2 systems on record buy water from Northern Ohio Rural Water: Erie Co. Vermilion District, Wakeman Village.
What the records show about Northern Ohio Rural Water
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Northern Ohio Rural Water as owned by a local government. It has 7,912 service connections and serves 18,224 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
Its office telephone on EPA's record is 419-668-7213.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Northern Ohio Rural Water buys water that Lorain City treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Lorain City: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, 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's record shows no health-based violations for Northern Ohio Rural Water since 2015.
EPA logs no violations of any kind for Northern Ohio Rural Water since 2020.
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 Northern Ohio Rural Water was 4 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
EPA has 4 sampling periods on file for Northern Ohio Rural Water since 2016, the first ending in 2018; 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 Northern Ohio Rural Water sent EPA, 7,635 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 7,635 |
| All lines | 7,635 |
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 22 samples of the water entering the pipes of Northern Ohio Rural Water in 2023 to 2024 and measured 29 PFAS. No PFAS was detected, PFOA and PFOS (federal limit 4 ng/L each) among them.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Lorain 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 Lorain City as sampled, most recently October 2024.
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 Northern Ohio Rural Water's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 56.7 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 56.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 86.4 µg/L, from 128 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 33.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 34.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 72 µg/L, from 128 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 56.7 µg/L (2019) | 56.7 µg/L | 86.4 µg/L | 128 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 33.1 µg/L | 34.8 µg/L | 72 µg/L | 128 |
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
The water Northern Ohio Rural Water buys is treated by Lorain City, so the results below are Lorain City's.
Nitrate: the highest of 96 samples was 1.5 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2017; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.08 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) | 96 | 1.5 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 of Lorain City.
Solvents and fuels
The water Northern Ohio Rural Water buys is treated by Lorain City, so the results below are Lorain City's.
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 of Lorain City.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Northern Ohio Rural Water buys is treated by Lorain City, so the results below are Lorain City's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 8 of 8 samples, highest 42 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 8 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 8 of 8 | 42 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 of Lorain City.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 1,724 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Northern Ohio Rural Water tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 252 did.
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 Northern Ohio Rural Water buys its water from Ashland City, a system that adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Lorain City, which treats the water Northern Ohio Rural Water buys.
Measured fluoride: 1.03 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Lorain City, which supplies Northern Ohio Rural Water, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.95 to 1.16 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 16 UCMR 5 samples at Northern Ohio Rural Water, 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
The water Northern Ohio Rural Water buys is treated by Lorain City, so the results below are Lorain City's.
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 11 times in 283 raw-water samples, across 4 bloom seasons (2016 to 2022); the highest raw-water result was 0.529 µg/L on September 6, 2016. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (144 samples).
In all, 427 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 24, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 283 | 11 | 0.529 µg/L |
| Treated water | 144 | 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 Northern Ohio Rural Water for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $612 a year, about $51 a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $336 | not on file |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $612 | not on file |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,080 | not on file |
The survey lists it as “Northern Ohio Rural Water”. 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 Northern Ohio Rural Water 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 398 residents are inside the boundary, 2% of the 18,224 people Northern Ohio Rural Water reports serving. With so much of its territory outside the polygon, part of the system shows on the map as private wells.
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.
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 OH3902403 (EPA ECHO).
Northern Ohio Rural Water's own pages: cityoflorain.org, cityofelyria.org
