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; no PSI figures found on the village website. Village maintains an elevated water tower for storage/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. (Exact figure from an image-only CCR PDF not independently… | 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 of them paperwork (monitoring, reporting, public notice or consumer report).
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 of them paperwork (monitoring, reporting, public notice or consumer report).
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 -- confirmed independently via Mount Vernon's own CCR-derived language. 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 and could not be located this session. No CSO or consent-decree information found.
Storm
Confirmed: 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.
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
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