Water system
Switzerland of Ohio Water
EPA ID OH5600503 · Monroe County · 2,500 people served
Switzerland of Ohio Water buys its water from Barnesville.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Barnesville Reservoir #1, Barnesville Reservoir #2, Slope Creek Reservoir
- Raw intakes
- Barnesville Reservoir#1
Barnesville Reservoir#2
Barnesville Slope Creek - Serves
- 6,500 people · Belmont County
- EPA ID
- OH0700011
About this area's water Barnesville
Did you know
- Barnesville's three reservoirs hold an estimated 840 million usable gallons of raw water — what Ohio EPA calls 2.6 years of uninterrupted supply — while the village's finished-water tanks hold only about 1.2 days' worth.
- The village doesn't just serve itself: it wholesales water at $5.70 per 1,000 gallons to the Switzerland of Ohio Water District and the Village of Quaker City, satellite systems that push the population served to…
- Barnesville has sold bulk raw water straight out of Slope Creek Reservoir for hydraulic fracturing when water levels allow; Ohio EPA describes it as a continuing source of village revenue that doesn't count against…
- The two reservoirs nearest town bloom with algae while the distant one doesn't, so the village budgeted $5.58 million to rebuild a five-mile main and pump station and pump the good water instead — the old…
- In December 2025 the village had to send a special public notice after missing the federal deadline to tell residents whether their water arrives through a lead, galvanized or unknown-material service line.
Source: barnesvilleohio.combarnesvilleohio.combarnesvilleohio.com
History6
- 1808Barnesville is laid out in November 1808 by first settler James Barnes; the village is incorporated in 1835.
- 1964The 93-acre Slope Creek Reservoir (Reservoir #3), about five miles south of the village, is created for flood control and water supply; it holds roughly 650 million usable gallons.
- 2007Reservoir #2 (13 acres, ~30 million usable gallons, on County Road 122) is added as a village water source.
- 2016The village adopts a Source Water Protection Plan covering Reservoirs #1 and #2 and Slope Creek Reservoir. (Ohio treats all surface water as highly susceptible to contamination as a matter of policy…
- 2021Ohio EPA issues a preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (June 24, 2021) for the Barnesville 16-inch Raw Water Transmission Main, WSRLA loan FS390135-0010, with the 0% Harmful Algal Bloom…
- 2025The village misses the July 1, 2025 federal deadline to deliver annual notifications to consumers with lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement, or unknown-status service lines. It reported the…
Source: en.wikipedia.orgbarnesvilleohio.combarnesvilleohio.com
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Surface water from Reservoir #1 (Township Road 25), Reservoir #2 (County Road 122) and Slope Creek Reservoir (Somerset Township) is dosed with potassium permanganate, polymers and chlorine to promote coagulation and contaminant removal ahead of filtration; activated carbon gives the filtered water…
Source: barnesvilleohio.combarnesvilleohio.com
Water pressure
No distribution pressures or pressure zones are published. Ohio EPA records that Reservoirs #1 and #2 send water to the plant by gravity, while Slope Creek Reservoir water is…
Source: barnesvilleohio.com
What it costs
$6.65 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $38 a month for water.
Inside-village schedule, Barnesville Water Department Rates and Fees effective May 9, 2022 (identical figures also appear on tables headed 'effective with July 2021 bills'): $9.00…
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride Range 0.70-1.13; no violation. Water additive plus erosion of natural deposits. | 0.98 ppm | 4 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range <0.10-0.79; no violation. Fertilizer runoff, septic leaching. | 0.79 ppm | 10 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Barium No violation. | 0.018 ppm | 2 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 20 samples exceeded the action level. | 4.99 ppb | 15 (AL) | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 20 samples exceeded the action level. | 0.037 ppm | 1.3 (AL) | 2025 |
| Turbidity Range 0.04-0.39; lowest monthly compliance was 97.7% of samples meeting the standard. No violation. | 0.39 (max) NTU | TT: 0.3 NTU in… | 2025 |
| Chlorine Range 0.7-1.1. Disinfectant residual. | 0.89 (max) ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| TTHM (total trihalomethanes) Range 56.0-69.3; chlorination byproduct, no violation. | 69.3 ppb | 80 (MCL) | 2025 |
| HAA5 (haloacetic acids) Range 18.3-26.9; chlorination byproduct, no violation. | 26.9 ppb | 60 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Nickel (unregulated) Unregulated contaminant monitoring; no MCL. | 6.48 ppb | none established | 2025 |
Source: barnesvilleohio.com
EPA compliance record · Switzerland of Ohio Water
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.6 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
EPA compliance record · Barnesville (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 5 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Projects & plans4
Recent and current work
- Barnesville 16-inch Raw Water Transmission Main and pump station replacement · $5.6 million · 2021-2023
Replaces 25,000 linear feet of 12-inch asbestos-cement raw water main with 16-inch PVC on a new alignment mostly along roads, plus a new prefabricated pump… - Service line inventory · 2025 · completed
Inventory of service line materials maintained under the federal Lead and Copper Rule; the CCR directs residents to view it at the Barnesville Water Office…
Source: barnesvilleohio.combarnesvilleohio.com
Planned or needed
- Lead / galvanized / unknown service line notification correction · 2025 · completed
After failing to certify delivery of the July 1, 2025 annual notifications, the village provided the required notices to affected consumers on December 15… - Possible extension to Fairview and Hendrysburg · proposed
Ohio EPA's 2021 assessment notes these two unincorporated communities may connect to the Barnesville system when construction becomes affordable, adding…
Supply stress
All three sources are village-owned surface impoundments. Ohio treats every surface water source as highly susceptible to contamination; the CCR lists agricultural runoff, oil and gas wells, and road crossings as the potential contaminant sources in the protection areas. The real operating pressure is algae: Reservoirs #1 and #2…
Sewers
Sanitary
The Village of Barnesville Water & Sewer Department runs the sanitary sewer and bills it alongside water: $14.25 minimum for 0-1,000 gal, $28.50 at 2,000, then $10.90 per 1,000 above 2,000 up to 40,000 and $10.50 above that; a 5,000-gallon month is $61.20. Sewer taps are $500 inside or outside the corporation. Ohio EPA's 2021 assessment…
Storm
not published
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 2 ZIP codes
- 43716 · Sunsbury Township and Beallsville22% of residents
- 43747 · Malaga Township and Jerusalem20% 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
Switzerland of Ohio Water buys its water from Barnesville.
No other system is on record buying water from Switzerland of Ohio Water.
What the records show about Switzerland of Ohio Water
Who runs it
EPA's record says Switzerland of Ohio Water has 1,049 service connections and serves 2,500 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 740-926-1465.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Switzerland of Ohio Water buys water that Barnesville treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Barnesville: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, granular 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's record shows no health-based violations for Switzerland of Ohio Water since 2015.
EPA logs no violations of any kind for Switzerland of Ohio Water since 2020.
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 Switzerland of Ohio Water was 2.6 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 7.7 ppb, in the period ending December 2023.
EPA has 6 sampling periods on file for Switzerland of Ohio Water 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 Switzerland of Ohio Water sent EPA, 1,056 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 1,056 |
| All lines | 1,056 |
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 Switzerland of Ohio Water buys is treated by Barnesville, so the results below are Barnesville's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 4 samples of the water entering the pipes of Barnesville in 2023 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 8.1 ng/L, is at or above the federal limit of 4 ng/L that EPA set in 2024. Systems have until 2029 to comply, and in May 2026 EPA proposed letting systems apply for two more years. One sample over the limit is not a violation: compliance is judged on a running annual average.
The highest PFAS result was PFOA 8.1 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Barnesville (latest sample May 2021). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 8.1 ng/L | 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 Switzerland of Ohio Water's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 46.6 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 58.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 92.2 µg/L, from 56 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 27.2 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 42.3 µg/L and the highest single sample was 59.6 µg/L, from 56 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 46.6 µg/L (2019) | 58.2 µg/L | 92.2 µg/L | 56 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 27.2 µg/L | 42.3 µg/L | 59.6 µg/L | 56 |
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 Switzerland of Ohio Water buys is treated by Barnesville, so the results below are Barnesville's.
Nitrate: the highest of 97 samples was 2.55 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.96 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 9 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 97 | 2.55 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 9 | 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 Barnesville.
Solvents and fuels
The water Switzerland of Ohio Water buys is treated by Barnesville, so the results below are Barnesville'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 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 of Barnesville.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Switzerland of Ohio Water buys is treated by Barnesville, so the results below are Barnesville's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: chromium in 2 of 8 samples, highest 1.4 µg/L (limit 100); barium in 3 of 8 samples, highest 28.1 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 8 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 8 | 2 of 8 | 1.4 µg/L | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 3 of 8 | 28.1 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 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 of Barnesville.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 192 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Switzerland of Ohio Water 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 Switzerland of Ohio Water buys its water from Barnesville, a system that adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Barnesville, which treats the water Switzerland of Ohio Water buys.
Measured fluoride: 0.81 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Barnesville, which supplies Switzerland of Ohio Water, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.81 to 1.22 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 Barnesville, which supplies Switzerland of Ohio Water, 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
The water Switzerland of Ohio Water buys is treated by Barnesville, so the results below are Barnesville's.
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 3 times in 224 raw-water samples, across 3 bloom seasons (2021 to 2026); the highest raw-water result was 0.566 µg/L on December 7, 2021. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 0.27 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (80 samples).
In all, 304 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 12, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 224 | 3 | 0.566 µg/L |
| Treated water | 80 | 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
EPA estimated the service area of Switzerland of Ohio Water 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 631 residents are inside the boundary, 25% of the 2,500 people Switzerland of Ohio Water reports serving. With so much of its territory outside the polygon, part of the system shows on the map as private wells.
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 OH5600503 (EPA ECHO).
