Water system
Wellston City
EPA ID OH4001912 · Jackson County · 5,846 people served · owned by a local government
Wellston City treats its own water from Lake Rupert + Lake Alma (Little Raccoon Creek reservoirs).
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Lake Rupert, Lake Alma, Little Raccoon Creek
- Raw intakes
- Lake Rupert (n Wtp)
Lake Alma (n Wtp)
Little Raccoon Creek (n Wtp)
Impoundment (n Wtp) - Active wells
- 3
- Serves
- 5,846 people · Jackson County
- EPA ID
- OH4001912
About this area's water
Did you know
- Wellston's drinking water is drawn partly from an abandoned coal mine — the city's CCR lists it as a ground water source and notes it is really a ground/surface mixture, a direct legacy of the area's mining history.
- The city runs two separate treatment plants, North and South, whose outputs blend into one distribution system. The difference shows in the tap: North Plant water tested at 1.28 ppm fluoride in 2025 while South WTP…
- Ground has been broken on an entirely new Water Treatment Facility that will replace both aging plants, with the city projecting it operational by the end of 2028.
- Wellston reported zero violations in 2024, but picked up two reporting violations in 2025 — it missed a two-week Total Microcystins sampling window and left its UCMR5 results out of the previous year's report. It kept…
History5
- 2024Unconditioned license to operate; no violations reported in the 2024 Consumer Confidence Report.
- 20252024 CCR (issued May 2025) announced that groundbreaking on a new Water Treatment Facility was set for that year, alongside grant applications for distribution-system work.
- 2025Ground broken on the new Water Treatment Facility; the 2025 CCR projects it operational by the end of 2028.
- 2025Two monitoring/reporting violations: the city failed to collect a Total Microcystins sample in the 8/17-8/30/2025 window (returned to compliance with samples on 9/10/2025, results within limits), and…
- 2025Retained an unconditioned license to operate despite the two reporting violations.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Wellston draws from Little Raccoon Creek (surface water) blended with water from an abandoned coal mine, which the city describes as a mixture of ground water and surface water. The supply is treated at two separate plants, the North Plant and the South WTP, whose outputs feed one distribution…
Source: cityofwellston.orgcityofwellston.org
Water pressure
Not published. No distribution pressure figure or pressure-zone map appears in the 2024 or 2025 CCR or anywhere on the city's website.
What it costs
Genuinely unpublished. Wellston posts no water or sewer rate schedule online. The Clerk's Office page (203 E Broadway St) states it handles monthly utility billing and meter…
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM (total trihalomethanes) Compliance value is the running annual average. Individual detections ranged 8.2-94.4 ppb, so single samples exceeded… | 65.6 ppb | 80 (MCL) | 2025 |
| HAA5 (haloacetic acids) Distribution system; range of individual detections 0-74.6 ppb. No violation. | 44.6 ppb | 60 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Total chlorine Distribution system; range 2.06-2.30 ppm. | 2.19 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 20 samples exceeded the action level. Still the most recent lead sampling round reported in the 2025 CCR. | 2 ppb | 15 (action… | 2023 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 20 samples exceeded the action level. | 0.072 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2023 |
| Nitrate North Plant; range <0.10-0.33 ppm. Well below the MCL. | 0.33 ppm | 10 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride North Plant range 1.15-1.29 ppm. The two plants differ roughly eightfold — only the North Plant appears to fluoridate. | 1.28 (North… ppm | 4 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Barium Both plants far below the MCL. | 0.02 (North) /… ppm | 2 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Turbidity Highest recorded 2025 result was 0.47 NTU; lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting the limit was 99.2%. No… | 0.33 (North) /… NTU | TT: 0.3 NTU in… | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (removal ratio) Worth watching: both plants posted a minimum monthly ratio of exactly 1.0 in 2025 (North range 1.0-1.44, South… | 1.0 (both… ratio of… | TT: must stay… | 2025 |
Source: cityofwellston.orgcityofwellston.org
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2 ppb in 2023 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2018Haloacetic acids (HAA5) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.061 MG/L (limit 0.06 MG/L) · returned to compliance
- 2017Haloacetic acids (HAA5) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.064 MG/L (limit 0.06 MG/L) · returned to compliance
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).
Projects & plans2
Recent and current work
- New Wellston Water Treatment Facility · 2025 · under construction
The 2025 CCR states ground has been broken and the facility is projected operational by the end of 2028, replacing the aging North/South plant arrangement. The…
Source: cityofwellston.org
Planned or needed
- Distribution system improvement grants · 2024-2025 · proposed
Both the 2024 and 2025 CCRs say the city is applying for several grants for distribution-system improvements. No specific project, grant program, award, or…
Supply stress
Both raw-water inputs carry a high susceptibility rating in the city's own CCRs. The Little Raccoon Creek supply is surface water, which Ohio EPA treats as inherently susceptible: it is openly accessible and moves fast enough that an upstream spill can reach the intake with little warning. The abandoned coal mine source, a ground/surface…
Sewers
Sanitary
The city's CCRs cover drinking water only, and the city website publishes no wastewater plant capacity, process, receiving stream, or NPDES information.
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
- 45692 · Wellston54% of residents
Also present in 2 more ZIP codes
- 45640 · Jackson3% of residents
- 45634 · Clinton Township and Hamden0% 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
Wellston 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 Wellston City.
What the records show about Wellston City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Wellston City as owned by a local government. It has 2,436 service connections and serves 5,846 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 740-577-8814.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Wellston City: aeration, 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 counts 2 health-based violations for Wellston 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 2 violations of any kind 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).
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | above the legal limit on average | 0.061 mg/L | 0.06 mg/L | returned to compliance |
| 2017 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | above the legal limit on average | 0.064 mg/L | 0.06 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 2023, the 90th-percentile lead result at Wellston City was 2 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 2.2 ppb, in the period ending December 2017.
EPA has 3 sampling periods on file for Wellston 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 Wellston City sent EPA, 2,426 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 1,134 |
| Not lead | 1,292 |
| All lines | 2,426 |
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 6 samples of the water entering the pipes of Wellston City in 2024 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS results were PFPeA 20.2 ng/L, PFBA 8.1 ng/L, and PFHxA 6.5 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 2 plants of Wellston City (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 2 plants of Wellston City as sampled, most recently April 2026.
| 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 Wellston City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 28.2 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 77 µg/L and the highest single sample was 126.3 µg/L, from 64 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 22.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 60 µg/L and the highest single sample was 111.9 µg/L, from 65 samples. A yearly average over 60 is not itself a violation, because compliance is judged site by site.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 28.2 µg/L (2019) | 77 µg/L | 126.3 µg/L | 64 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 22.1 µg/L | 60 µg/L | 111.9 µg/L | 65 |
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 192 samples was 0.37 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2017; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.32 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 16 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 192 | 0.37 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 16 | 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.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 2 plants of Wellston City together, so a result over a limit may come from a plant that serves a different part of town.
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 16 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | 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 16 of 16 samples, highest 26 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine in 18 samples, alachlor in 18 samples, chromium in 16 samples, cadmium in 16 samples, mercury in 16 samples, selenium in 16 samples, thallium in 16 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 18 | 0 of 18 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 18 | 0 of 18 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 16 | 16 of 16 | 26 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 2 plants of Wellston City together, so a result over a limit may come from a plant that serves a different part of town.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 842 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Wellston City tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 96 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 Wellston City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Wellston City.
Measured fluoride: 0.76 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.16 to 1.29 mg/L across 16 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 found in 2 of 6 UCMR 5 samples at Wellston City, highest 25 µg/L; detections averaged 24.5, last sampled in 2024.
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 1 time in 248 raw-water samples, across 1 bloom season (2026); the highest raw-water result was 0.297 µg/L on July 1, 2026. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 0.297 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (148 samples).
In all, 396 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 12, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 248 | 1 | 0.297 µg/L |
| Treated water | 148 | 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).
How well the service area is mapped
The service area drawn on the map for Wellston City comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 5,055 residents are inside the boundary, 86% of the 5,846 people Wellston 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 — 3 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 OH4001912 (EPA ECHO).
Wellston City's own pages: vintoncountytravel.com, visitvintonohio.com
Notable facts: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
History: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
Water quality: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
Planned work: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
Capital projects: cityofwellston.org
Rates: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
Treatment: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
Supply stress: cityofwellston.org, cityofwellston.org
