Water system
Gambier Village
EPA ID OH4200403 · Knox County · 2,300 people served · owned by a local government
Gambier Village buys its water from Mount Vernon City.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Buried Valley Aquifer along the Kokosing River
- Water bodies
- Kokosing River
- Active wells
- 2
- Serves
- 16,990 people · Knox County
- EPA ID
- OH4200812
About this area's water
Did you know
- Gambier buys 100% of its drinking water from the City of Mount Vernon and only owns the pipes that distribute it, plus its landmark elevated water tower.
- Mount Vernon's own Source Water Assessment rates the shared Buried Valley Aquifer 'HIGH' susceptibility to contamination -- the water table sits less than 15 feet below ground.
- Gambier's stormwater utility charges by rooftop and driveway size rather than water use, and gives credits for rain gardens or detention basins.
- The village was founded by Bishop Philander Chase, who also founded Kenyon College, and incorporated in 1870.
Source: villageofgambier.orgvillageofgambier.orgvillageofgambier.org
History3
- 1870Village of Gambier officially incorporated (founded earlier by Bishop Philander Chase alongside Kenyon College).
- 2017Village adopted Water Ordinance 2017-11 (metered rate effective 5/15/2017; minimum charges and monthly billing effective 12/1/2017) and Wastewater Ordinance 2017-12, setting the current rates and…
- 2025Village completed the first of two required PFAS sampling events (Nov. 18, 2025) under the federal 2024 PFAS rule, via water purchased from Mount Vernon.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Gambier does not treat its own water; it buys finished drinking water from the City of Mount Vernon, which draws groundwater from wells in the Buried Valley Aquifer (Riverside Park well field and a well on the west side of the Kokosing River) and disinfects with chlorine/chlorine dioxide. Gambier…
Source: villageofgambier.orgmtvernonoh.gov
Water pressure
Not published. The village maintains an elevated water tower for storage and pressure.
What it costs
$12.38 per 1,000 gallons
Confirmed via Ordinance 2017-11: $12.38 per 1,000 gallons metered (effective 5/15/2017); minimum monthly charges $12.38 (5/8-3/4in meter), $24.76 (1-1.5in meter), up to $86.66…
Source: villageofgambier.org
Water quality & impurities7
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Disinfection byproduct, tested in Mount Vernon system. | 9.6 ppb | 80 ppb (MCL) | 2025 |
| Total Chlorine Disinfectant residual. | 1.40 ppm | 4 ppm (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Chlorite Chlorine dioxide byproduct. | 0.44 ppm | 1.0 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Chlorine Dioxide Disinfectant used at Mount Vernon plant. | 0.47 ppm | 0.8 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Naturally occurring/treatment additive. | 0.274 ppm | 4.0 ppm (MCL) | 2024 |
| Barium Naturally occurring. | 0.023 ppm | 2.0 ppm (MCL) | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 10 samples exceeded AL. | 0.0288 ppm | 1.3 ppm (Action… | 2025 |
Source: villageofgambier.org
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
2 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late.
EPA compliance record · Mount Vernon 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.
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
Elevated risk at the source: Mount Vernon's Source Water Assessment rates the shared Buried Valley Aquifer 'HIGH' susceptibility to contamination because the water table sits less than 15 feet below ground, with little protective clay cover. Gambier itself has no…
Source: mtvernonoh.gov
Sewers
Sanitary
Village of Gambier owns and operates its own wastewater treatment plant and sewer collection system under Wastewater Ordinance 2017-12; the specific plant name, capacity, and receiving stream are not published on the village site. We found no CSO or consent-decree record.
Storm
Separate stormwater enterprise fund; residential fee is $2/month (<1,500 sq ft impervious area), $4/month (1,500-4,500 sq ft), or $6/month (>4,500 sq ft), billed quarterly under code 'ST'; non-residential properties can earn up to 25% credit for…
Source: villageofgambier.org
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
- 43022 · Gambier53% 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
Gambier Village buys its water from Mount Vernon City.
No other system is on record buying water from Gambier Village.
What the records show about Gambier Village
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Gambier Village as owned by a local government. It has 357 service connections and serves 2,300 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 740-427-2671.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Gambier Village buys water that Mount Vernon City treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Mount Vernon City: chlorine dioxide, coagulation and settling, lime softening, and sand or media filtration.
Gambier Village itself also registers: chlorine disinfection.
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 Gambier Village since 2015.
EPA logs 2 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late.
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 Gambier Village 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 9 sampling periods on file for Gambier Village 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 Gambier Village sent EPA, 337 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 1 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 4 |
| Not lead | 332 |
| All lines | 337 |
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
The water Gambier Village buys is treated by Mount Vernon City, so the results below are Mount Vernon City's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 2 samples of the water entering the pipes of Mount Vernon City in 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 Mount Vernon City (latest sample October 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 Mount Vernon City as sampled, most recently April 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 Gambier Village's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 10.3 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 10.3 µg/L and the highest single sample was 10.9 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 0 µg/L and the highest single sample was 0 µg/L, from 14 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 10.3 µg/L (2019) | 10.3 µg/L | 10.9 µg/L | 14 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 0 µg/L | 0 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 Gambier Village buys is treated by Mount Vernon City, so the results below are Mount Vernon City's.
Nitrate was not detected in 8 samples through 2019 (limit 10 mg/L as nitrogen; above 10 is unsafe for infants).
Arsenic was not detected in 4 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 8 | not detected | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 4 | 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 Mount Vernon City.
Solvents and fuels
The water Gambier Village buys is treated by Mount Vernon City, so the results below are Mount Vernon 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 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 Mount Vernon City.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Gambier Village buys is treated by Mount Vernon City, so the results below are Mount Vernon City's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 2 of 3 samples, highest 21 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 | 21 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 Mount Vernon City.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 203 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Gambier Village tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 24 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 Gambier Village buys its water from Mount Vernon City, 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 0.27 mg/L.
EPA's treatment table lists no fluoridation step at Mount Vernon City, which treats the water Gambier Village buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.34 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Mount Vernon City, which supplies Gambier Village, in 2018 (below the 0.7 mg/L target); samples ran from 0.24 to 0.34 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 Mount Vernon City, which supplies Gambier Village, 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.
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Gambier Village for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $743 a year, about $62 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $665 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $371 | $333 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $743 | $665 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,188 | $1,065 |
The survey lists it as “Gambier”. 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 Gambier Village 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 2,198 residents are inside the boundary, 96% of the 2,300 people Gambier Village 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 OH4200403 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: villageofgambier.org, villageofgambier.org, villageofgambier.org
History: villageofgambier.org, villageofgambier.org
Water quality: villageofgambier.org
Rates: villageofgambier.org
Sewers: villageofgambier.org
Treatment: villageofgambier.org, mtvernonoh.gov
Supply stress: mtvernonoh.gov
