Water system
Jefferson Co. W and S District- A
EPA ID OH4100803 · Jefferson County · 2,635 people served · owned by a local government
Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys its water from Brilliant Water and Sewer.
The system's record
- Active wells
- 3
- Serves
- 2,000 people · Jefferson County
- EPA ID
- OH4100412
About this area's water Brilliant Water and Sewer
Did you know
- Brilliant's original name was "Philipsburgh," laid out in 1819 by Virginia statesman Philip Doddridge.
- The village took its current name in 1880 from the Brilliant Glass Company, whose factory anchored the adjoining La Grange settlement.
- Although the Village of Brilliant formally disincorporated in 1993, the water and sewer utility is not a village department at all — it is a separate 'body corporate and politic,' the Brilliant Water & Sewer District…
- A 2015-2017, roughly $3.6 million capacity project nearly doubled the district's treated-water capacity (0.59 to 1.08 MGD) by adding a third well and three pressure filters coated with manganese-dioxide media.
History4
- 1819Land laid out by Virginia statesman Philip Doddridge as "Philipsburgh."
- 1880Renamed Brilliant after the Brilliant Glass Company built a factory at the adjoining La Grange settlement.
- 1993Village formally disincorporated (November 24), becoming an unincorporated community; the water/sewer utility is a legally separate special district, not a village department, per Ohio Auditor of…
- 2024Ohio EPA cited the water system for a lead service line inventory violation (a records requirement, not a lead test result) opening 10/17/2024, returned to compliance 2/3/2025 (SDWIS/EPA federal records).
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Now sourced (previously unfound): the district draws from wells first developed in the 1920s (Well No. 1, 1927; Well No. 2, 1945) plus a third well added under a ~2015-2017 capacity project. Raw water receives pre-oxidation with sodium hypochlorite, filtration through three vertical pressure…
Source: westechwater.com
Water pressure
Not published.
What it costs
No published residential rate schedule for Brilliant Water & Sewer District specifically was found. (A Jefferson County Water and Sewer District rate schedule was found in search…
Water quality & impurities7
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead service line inventory Inventory violation (a records requirement, not a lead test result) opened 10/17/2024, return-to-compliance 2/3/2025, per EPA SDWIS federal records; secondary… | N/A violation | N/A | 2024-202… |
| Monitoring/reporting violations Multiple non-health-based monitoring & reporting violations recurring since 2018, most recently opened 7/2/2025, per… | N/A violation | N/A | 2018-202… |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Historical range from EPA SDWIS/UCMR5-derived summary (secondary source, older data). | 23 (avg) / 32.8… ppb | 80 | 2012-201… |
| Copper Historical range, secondary source (SDWIS/UCMR5 summary). | 247 (avg) / 684… ppb | 1300 | 2012-201… |
| Nitrate Historical range, secondary source. | 1180 (avg) /… ppb | 10000 | 2012-201… |
| HAA5 Historical range, secondary source. | 7.23 (avg) /… ppb | 60 | 2012-201… |
| Barium Historical range, secondary source. | 78.1 (avg) /… ppb | 2000 | 2012-201… |
Source: data.epa.govpurewaterguys.com
EPA compliance record · Jefferson Co. W and S District- A
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 3.9 ppb in 2026 (action level 15 ppb); copper 1.63 mg/L (action level 1.3).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
7 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 3 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 4 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
EPA compliance record · Brilliant Water and Sewer (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.1 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) · returned to compliance
8 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 6 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.
Projects & plans1
Recent and current work
- Well and filtration-plant capacity upgrade (3rd well + 3 pressure filters) · $3.6 million · 2015-2017 · completed
Raised finished-water capacity from ~0.59 MGD to 1.08 MGD (750 gpm); iron/manganese now non-detect in finished water, per Westech Water case study.
Source: westechwater.com
Supply stress
Small groundwater system (3 wells, ~2,000 population, roughly 560-766 connections across sources) with a recent history of recurring EPA violations over the yearly water quality report and one 2024 lead service line inventory violation, suggesting operational/compliance strain rather than raw-supply shortage. The district's own audited financials…
Source: data.epa.govohioauditor.gov
Sewers
Sanitary
The utility is legally the "Brilliant Water and Sewer District," a body corporate and politic (not a village department) governed by a 5-member Board of Trustees elected by water customers, per its Ohio Auditor of State-filed regular audit (FY2021-2022). It provides both water and sewer service, but the wastewater treatment plant's own…
Source: ohioauditor.gov
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Present in 2 ZIP codes
Serves
Main water supplier in 1 ZIP code
- 43910 · Wayne Township and Bloomingdale7% of residents
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 43953 · Cross Creek Township and Steubenville22% 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
Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys its water from Brilliant Water and Sewer.
No other system is on record buying water from Jefferson Co. W and S District- A.
What the records show about Jefferson Co. W and S District- A
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Jefferson Co. W and S District- A as owned by a local government. It has 1,098 service connections and serves 2,635 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 740-283-8500.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys water that Brilliant Water and Sewer treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Brilliant Water and Sewer: corrosion control, chlorine disinfection, and iron and manganese removal.
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 Jefferson Co. W and S District- A since 2015.
EPA logs 7 violations of any kind since 2020: 3 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 4 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
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 June 2026, the 90th-percentile lead result at Jefferson Co. W and S District- A was 3.9 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
EPA has 11 sampling periods on file for Jefferson Co. W and S District- A since 2016, the first ending in 2018; no period was above 10 ppb.
Copper: the latest result EPA lists is 1.63 mg/L in the period ending December 2021, above the 1.3 mg/L action level. EPA's data lists copper only for periods that went over the level.
Every water system has to inventory its service lines, the pipes from the main to each building. In the inventory Jefferson Co. W and S District- A sent EPA, 1,560 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 1,560 |
| Not lead | 0 |
| All lines | 1,560 |
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 4 samples of the water entering the pipes of Jefferson Co. W and S District- A in 2025 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS results were PFBS 3.4 ng/L and PFHxS 3.4 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Brilliant Water and Sewer (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 Brilliant Water and Sewer as sampled, most recently August 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 Jefferson Co. W and S District- A's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 17.2 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 35.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 40.1 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 9.9 µg/L and the highest single sample was 10.5 µg/L, from 14 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 17.2 µg/L (2019) | 35.8 µg/L | 40.1 µg/L | 14 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 9.9 µg/L | 10.5 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 Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys is treated by Brilliant Water and Sewer, so the results below are Brilliant Water and Sewer's.
Nitrate: the highest of 8 samples was 1.43 mg/L (as nitrogen), in 2019, the last year sampled. 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 | 1.43 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 3 | 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 Brilliant Water and Sewer.
Solvents and fuels
The water Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys is treated by Brilliant Water and Sewer, so the results below are Brilliant Water and Sewer'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 3 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | 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 Brilliant Water and Sewer.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys is treated by Brilliant Water and Sewer, so the results below are Brilliant Water and Sewer's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 3 of 3 samples, highest 99.9 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 | 3 of 3 | 99.9 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 Brilliant Water and Sewer.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 375 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Jefferson Co. W and S District- A tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 48 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 Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys its water from Brilliant Water and Sewer, a system that has fluoride from natural sources, but at a level below what is recommended for preventing tooth decay, and does not adjust it. The level it reports is 0.13 mg/L.
EPA's treatment table lists no fluoridation step at Brilliant Water and Sewer, which treats the water Jefferson Co. W and S District- A buys.
Measured fluoride: none was detected in 3 samples leaving the plants of Brilliant Water and Sewer, which supplies Jefferson Co. W and S District- A, 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 Jefferson Co. W and S District- A, last sampled in 2025 (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 Jefferson Co. W and S District- A 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 2,810 residents are inside the boundary, 107% of the 2,635 people Jefferson Co. W and S District- A 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.
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 OH4100803 (EPA ECHO).
