Water system
Coalton
EPA ID OH4000003 · Jackson County · 663 people served · owned by a local government
Coalton buys its water from Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Teays River Aquifer
- Active wells
- 3
- Serves
- 15,984 people · Jackson County
- EPA ID
- OH4002012
About this area's water
Did you know
- Coalton takes its name from Coal Township, reflecting its 19th-century coal-mining economy.
- Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes, who served two non-consecutive terms (1963-1971 and 1975-1983), was born in Coalton on September 13, 1909.
- Coalton has no wells or treatment plant of its own; it buys finished water wholesale from Jackson County Water Company, which draws on the Teays River Buried Valley Aquifer.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
History3
- 1900Coalton's population peaked at 1,625 residents.
- 1900-1910Population fell about 31.6% as the coal-mining economy declined.
- 2020Census recorded 445 residents, down about 73% from the 1900 peak of 1,625.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Coalton treats no water of its own; it purchases finished water from Jackson County Water Company, which draws on the Teays River Buried Valley Aquifer. We found no public description of that company's treatment process.
Water pressure
Not published for Coalton or Jackson County Water Company.
What it costs
We found no water rate schedule for Coalton or its wholesale supplier, Jackson County Water Company, published online.
Water quality & impurities
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2024Lead and Copper Rule Revisions · lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) · open
4 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 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); 1 health-based.
EPA compliance record · Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0.8 ppb in 2023 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
2 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Supply stress
The Teays River Buried Valley Aquifer is a regionally significant glacial buried-valley aquifer in southern Ohio. We found no reported contamination, depletion, or capacity issues for this supply.
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources. Little is published about this system, so details are thin.
Main supplier in 1 ZIP code
Serves
Main water supplier in 1 ZIP code
- 45621 · Coalton100% of residents
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 45692 · Wellston0% 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
Coalton buys its water from Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp.
No other system is on record buying water from Coalton.
What the records show about Coalton
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Coalton as owned by a local government. It has 276 service connections and serves 663 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 740-286-6986.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Coalton buys water that Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, fluoridation, lime softening, 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 1 health-based violation for Coalton since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. It falls into 1 separate problem (one contaminant or rule in one year); the table lists it.
EPA logs 4 violations of any kind since 2020: 1 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); 1 health-based.
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) | not on file | not on file | open |
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 Coalton 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.
EPA has 6 sampling periods on file for Coalton since 2016, the first ending in 2018; no period was above 10 ppb.
EPA's service line inventory dashboard lists Coalton with no line counts; its status reads: did not report any required service line types.
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.
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
The water Coalton buys is treated by Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, so the results below are Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 2 samples of the water entering the pipes of Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp in 2023 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 Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp (latest sample June 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 Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp as sampled, most recently February 2026.
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 Coalton's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 12.7 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 15.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 18.3 µg/L, from 14 samples taken from 2013 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 0 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 1.1 µg/L and the highest single sample was 1.2 µg/L, from 14 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 12.7 µg/L (2019) | 15.7 µg/L | 18.3 µg/L | 14 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 1.1 µg/L | 1.2 µg/L | 14 |
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 Coalton buys is treated by Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, so the results below are Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp's.
Nitrate: the highest of 8 samples was 0.14 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2016; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.13 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 3 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 8 | 0.14 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 3 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
| Combined radium | 1 | not detected | 5 pCi/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 Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp.
Solvents and fuels
The water Coalton buys is treated by Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, so the results below are Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp'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 4 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | 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 Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Coalton buys is treated by Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, so the results below are Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 2 of 3 samples, highest 60 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 3 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 3 | 2 of 3 | 60 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | 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 Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 97 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Coalton tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 12 did. E. coli was never found in the 1 sample 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 Coalton buys its water from Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, 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 Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, which treats the water Coalton buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.14 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, which supplies Coalton, in 2018 (too little to protect teeth); samples ran from 0.12 to 1.03 mg/L across 3 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 2 UCMR 5 samples at Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp, which supplies Coalton, last sampled in 2023 (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.
How well the service area is mapped
EPA estimated the service area of Coalton with a computer model rather than drawing it from the utility's map, so its edges are approximate.
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 — 2 ZIP codes 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 OH4000003 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org
History: en.wikipedia.org
