Water system
Oberlin Water Department
EPA ID OH4700911 · Lorain County · 8,600 people served · owned by a local government
Oberlin Water Department treats its own water from West Branch Black River, via Oberlin Upground Reservoir.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- West Branch Black River, Oberlin Upground Reservoir
- Raw intakes
- Oberlin W Br Black River Reservo
River - Serves
- 8,600 people · Lorain County
- EPA ID
- OH4700911
About this area's water
Did you know
- Oberlin built the first municipal lime-soda water softening plant in America in 1903, at the Morgan Street Water Works. The site is now a city park, and the reservoir beside it is being reshaped into a wetland.
- The 1886 water works bond was $50,000 — roughly $925,000 today, and about eight years of the town's typical spending. Within a year the Water Works was the second-largest line in the town budget, behind only the Street…
- Voters approved the system 437 to 100 in April 1886, after downtown fires in 1882 and 1886; the fire chief's verdict on 1882 was that the water "gave out entirely."
- Oberlin's 2025 TTHM running average of 74.68 ppb is within 7% of the federal 80 ppb limit, with individual samples as high as 121.8 ppb — the price of disinfecting organic-rich river water.
- The plant softens Oberlin's water to about 160 mg/L, or 9.3 grains per gallon, and adds phosphate for corrosion control; the most recent lead round came back at a 90th percentile of zero.
Source: oberlinheritagecenter.orgwww2.oberlin.educityofoberlin.com
History6
- 1882A fire on March 10 burned through a downtown block; the fire chief reported that the water supply "gave out entirely," exposing the town's lack of firefighting water.
- 1886After a second devastating downtown fire that spring, voters approved a $50,000 water works bond 437 to 100 in April. The reservoir built about a mile southwest of town covered ten acres at 16 feet…
- 1887Water service inaugurated December 23. By that year the Water Works was already the town's second-largest budget item, behind only the Street Department.
- 1888First major fire test of the new system; the local press reported the water works a success.
- 1903Oberlin installed the first municipal lime-soda water softening plant in America at the Morgan Street Water Works, softening water conveyed from the Vermilion River by way of the Kipton Reservoir.…
- 1960A new plant on Parsons Road drawing from the Black River replaced the Morgan Street works; the Morgan Street and Kipton reservoirs left drinking-water service in the early 1960s.
Source: www2.oberlin.eduoberlinheritagecenter.orgcityofoberlin.com
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Surface water from the West Branch of the Black River, supplemented by the city's reservoir and two elevated storage tanks, is treated at the 2.25 MGD plant at 43885 Parsons Road. The train is coagulation with aluminum sulfate and settling, lime-and-soda-ash softening (finished hardness about 160…
Source: cityofoberlin.comcityofoberlin.com
Water pressure
Not published. The city documents over 40 miles of water line serving roughly 3,000 homes and businesses, a 2.25 MGD plant and two elevated storage tanks, but publishes no system…
Source: cityofoberlin.com
What it costs
$15.84 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $79 a month for water.
Water only. Effective 2/1/2026, inside city: $11.85 per 100 cubic feet, with a minimum monthly bill of $35.55 based on minimum usage of 300 cubic feet (there is no separate fixed…
Source: cityofoberlin.com
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Running annual average. Individual detections ranged 43.60 to 121.8 ppb. No violation, but the compliance average sits… | 74.68 ppb | 80 ppb | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range of detections printed as 9.6-18.5 ppb; the CCR's Level Found of 18.9 sits just above its own printed range… | 18.9 ppb | 60 ppb | 2025 |
| Total Chlorine Range 1.2-1.6 ppm. | 1.4 ppm | 4 ppm (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.77-1.09 ppm; the plant fluoridates to about 1 mg/L. | 1.03 ppm | 4 ppm | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0.29-1.11 ppm. Well below limit. | 1.11 ppm | 10 ppm | 2025 |
| Barium Single sample; no range reported. | 0.016 ppm | 2 ppm | 2025 |
| Atrazine Range 0.15-0.62 ppb. Agricultural herbicide, well under the limit. | 0.3 ppb | 3 ppb | 2025 |
| Simazine Range 0.062-0.110 ppb. | 0.083 ppb | 4 ppb | 2025 |
| Turbidity Highest recorded value; 100% of monthly samples met the standard. Range 0.02-0.21 NTU. | 0.21 NTU | TT: 0.3 NTU in… | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (removal ratio) Range 1.33-2.15. A value above 1 means the required TOC removal was achieved. | 1.74 ratio | TT: must exceed… | 2025 |
Source: cityofoberlin.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2023 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2024Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · turbidity above the limit in a single reading · returned to compliance
- 2017Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.081 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · returned to compliance
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 health-based.
Projects & plans1
Recent and current work
- Morgan Street Reservoirs restructuring and wetland conversion · $300,000 · 2020 · under construction
City-commissioned Alternatives Analysis Report dated 09/21/2020. Council approved converting the upper rectangular reservoir into a wetland with paths and…
Supply stress
Ohio EPA's 2002 source water assessment, still cited in the 2026 CCR, treats all Ohio surface waters as susceptible to contamination: they are accessible, easily contaminated, and move fast enough that an upstream spill can reach the intake with little warning. Oberlin's protection area holds a moderate number of potential contaminant…
Sewers
Sanitary
The city's Water Environment Protection Facility is a 1.5 MGD Class IV plant using physical, chemical and biological treatment, discharging to Plum Creek; Class B biosolids are land-applied to agricultural ground at agronomic rates. Sanitary sewer is billed separately from water: inside city $7.61 per 100 cubic feet with a $22.83 monthly…
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
- 44074 · Oberlin77% of residents
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 44050 · Lagrange Township and Lagrange1% 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
Oberlin Water Department does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from Oberlin Water Department.
What the records show about Oberlin Water Department
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Oberlin Water Department as owned by a local government. It has 2,593 service connections and serves 8,600 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 440-775-7290.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Oberlin Water Department: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, 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 2 health-based violations for Oberlin Water Department 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 1 violation of any kind since 2020: 1 health-based.
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | turbidity above the limit in a single reading | not on file | not on file | returned to compliance |
| 2017 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.081 mg/L | 0.08 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 Oberlin Water Department 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 5 sampling periods on file for Oberlin Water Department 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 Oberlin Water Department sent EPA, 2,223 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 1 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 51 |
| Unknown material | 542 |
| Not lead | 1,629 |
| All lines | 2,223 |
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 5 samples of the water entering the pipes of Oberlin Water Department in 2023 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS results were PFBA 8.2 ng/L, PFPeA 5.3 ng/L, and PFHxA 5 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Oberlin Water Department (latest sample September 2020). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
| 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 Oberlin Water Department's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 53.5 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 67.3 µg/L and the highest single sample was 144.5 µg/L, from 70 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 20.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 26.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 37.6 µg/L, from 72 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 53.5 µg/L (2019) | 67.3 µg/L | 144.5 µg/L | 70 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 20.1 µg/L | 26.7 µg/L | 37.6 µg/L | 72 |
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 96 samples was 1.07 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2017; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.25 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic: the highest of 8 samples was 8.4 µg/L (limit 10); detections averaged 8.4; none over the limit.
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 96 | 1.07 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | 8.4 µg/L | 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.
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 8 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | 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: atrazine in 21 of 23 samples, highest 0.67 µg/L (limit 3); barium in 7 of 8 samples, highest 120 µg/L (limit 2,000); selenium in 1 of 8 samples, highest 5 µg/L (limit 50). Not detected: alachlor in 23 samples, chromium in 8 samples, cadmium in 8 samples, mercury in 8 samples, thallium in 8 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 23 | 21 of 23 | 0.67 µg/L | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 23 | 0 of 23 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 7 of 8 | 120 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 8 | 1 of 8 | 5 µg/L | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | 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.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 1,054 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Oberlin Water Department tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 120 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 Oberlin Water Department adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Oberlin Water Department.
Measured fluoride: 0.88 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.71 to 1.03 mg/L across 8 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 4 UCMR 5 samples at Oberlin Water Department, 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.
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 21 times in 199 raw-water samples, across 3 bloom seasons (2017 to 2023); the highest raw-water result was 12.1 µg/L on November 9, 2023. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (110 samples).
In all, 309 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 13, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 199 | 21 | 12.1 µg/L |
| Treated water | 110 | 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).
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Oberlin Water Department for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $741 a year, about $62 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $559 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $371 | $280 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $741 | $559 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,186 | $894 |
The survey lists it as “Oberlin”. 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 Oberlin Water Department 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 9,261 residents are inside the boundary, 108% of the 8,600 people Oberlin Water Department 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 — 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 OH4700911 (EPA ECHO).
Oberlin Water Department's own pages: cityofoberlin.com, www2.oberlin.edu
Notable facts: oberlinheritagecenter.org, www2.oberlin.edu, cityofoberlin.com, cityofoberlin.com
History: www2.oberlin.edu, oberlinheritagecenter.org, cityofoberlin.com, oberlinreview.org
Water quality: cityofoberlin.com
Water pressure: cityofoberlin.com
Capital projects: oberlinreview.org, chroniclet.com, cityofoberlin.com
Rates: cityofoberlin.com
Sewers: cityofoberlin.com, cityofoberlin.com
Treatment: cityofoberlin.com, cityofoberlin.com
Supply stress: cityofoberlin.com, cityofoberlin.com
