Water system
Ravenna City
EPA ID OH6703211 · Portage County · 16,000 people served · owned by a local government
Ravenna City treats its own water from Lake Hodgson.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Lake Hodgson
- Raw intakes
- Ravenna
- Serves
- 16,000 people · Portage County
- EPA ID
- OH6703211
About this area's water
Did you know
- Ravenna's original 1885 water plant at Crystal Lake was not demolished until 2016 - 32 years after the Lake Hodgson plant replaced it.
- The city bought its reservoir, Lake Hodgson, for $400,000 in 1957 after the Cleveland Worsted Mills that had used it shut down.
- Ravenna and Kent keep an emergency interconnection used for a total of about 3.25 days a year, spread out over 26 weeks; in 2024 Ravenna took 6.4 million gallons from Kent and sent 0.355 million gallons back.
- The plant fights seasonal algae taste-and-odor with powdered activated carbon, which the city says is expensive enough that dosing is deliberately kept to the minimum that still works.
- The water rate is written per MCF - 1,000 cubic feet, or 7,480 gallons - while customer bills are read in HCF at 748 gallons, so the same $49.60 rate appears as $4.96 on a bill and works out to $6.63 per 1,000 gallons.
History6
- 1885Ravenna's original water plant was built at Crystal Lake; water was first pumped to the city in 1886 using a steam turbine pump.
- 1913A second pump station was added at Muzzy Lake to supply raw water to Crystal Lake for treatment.
- 1957City purchased Lake Hodgson for $400,000 after the Cleveland Worsted Mills ceased operations, converting the mill's water body into the city's future supply.
- 1973Planning began for a new water treatment facility at Lake Hodgson; final plans were completed in 1981.
- 1984The new $9,597,000 Lake Hodgson Water Treatment Plant, rated 5 MGD, became operational June 11, 1984 after 26 months of construction. The City Park elevated storage tank was upgraded as part of the…
- 2016The original 1885 Crystal Lake plant was demolished, 32 years after the Lake Hodgson plant replaced it.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Surface water is drawn from Lake Hodgson, a reservoir in the Congress Lake Outlet - Breakneck Creek watershed, and treated at the 5 MGD plant on Lakewood Road, which currently produces about 1.5 MGD on average. The city runs a powdered activated carbon feed system to remove the objectionable tastes…
Source: ravennaoh.govravennaoh.gov
Water pressure
No distribution pressure figure is published in the CCR or on city pages. Distribution storage consists of a 3-million-gallon standpipe north of the city and the City Park…
Source: ravennaoh.govravennaoh.gov
What it costs
$6.63 per 1,000 gallons
Ravenna Codified Ordinance 1040.02 sets the 2026 water rate at $49.60 per MCF, where MCF means 1,000 cubic feet = 7,480 gallons, giving $6.63 per 1,000 gallons. Customer bills are…
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes) Running annual average for 2023-2024; range of individual detections 11.7-40.9 ppb. Chlorination byproduct; no… | 30.7 ppb | 80 | 2024 |
| HAA5 (Haloacetic Acids) Running annual average for 2023-2024; range of individual detections 19.6-58.2 ppb, with the top of the range… | 34.6 ppb | 60 | 2024 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 30 city samples over the action level; the city reports results below the federal action level for over 20 years… | 3.82 ppb | 15 (action… | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 30 city samples over the action level. | 0.267 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2024 |
| Nitrate (as Nitrogen) Range 0.19-0.58 ppm; well below the MCL. | 0.58 ppm | 10 | 2024 |
| Fluoride Range 0.70-1.18 ppm; natural erosion plus water additive. | 0.97 ppm | 4 | 2024 |
| Turbidity Highest result; range 0.03-0.11 NTU; 100% of samples met the standard. Indicator of filtration effectiveness. | 0.11 NTU | 1 (TT; 0.3 NTU… | 2024 |
| Total Chlorine Range 0.83-1.17 ppm; disinfection residual. | 0.98 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2024 |
| Chlorite Range 0.45-0.70 ppm; byproduct of drinking water disinfection. The CCR's table prints MCLG 1.0 and MCL 0.80, which… | 0.69 ppm | 1.0 | 2024 |
| Barium Erosion of natural deposits. | 0.016 ppm | 2 | 2024 |
Source: ravennaoh.gov
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 3.7 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
Projects & plans3
Recent and current work
- Water Reclamation Facility final clarifier rebuilds and building re-roofing · completed
The city reports all three final clarifiers were rebuilt within roughly the last five years and new roofs were installed on multiple buildings. No cost is… - Water treatment plant improvements: carbon feed system, clearwell aeration, SCADA · completed
The city describes a new powdered activated carbon feed system for taste and odor, a clearwell aeration system to minimize disinfection byproducts, and SCADA…
Source: ravennaoh.govravennaoh.gov
Planned or needed
- Water Reclamation Facility phosphorus reduction project · planned
The city's wastewater page describes a phosphorus reduction project under development. The page gives no cost, year, or Ohio EPA schedule.
Source: ravennaoh.gov
Supply stress
Ohio EPA treats all Ohio surface water as susceptible, and Ravenna's source water protection area contains what the city calls a moderate number of potential contaminant sources: agricultural runoff, private septic systems, oil and gas wells, and runoff from construction sites and road crossings. The recurring practical problem is…
Source: ravennaoh.govravennaoh.gov
Sewers
Sanitary
City-owned Water Reclamation Facility at 3722 Hommon Rd., Ravenna, averaging 2.8 MGD with a peak hydraulic capacity of 6.02 MGD. The site's treatment history runs from an original 1907 facility, enlarged in 1910, replaced by a new plant in 1942, with upgrades in 1974, 1992, 1995, and 2004. The city reports no EPA violations for calendar…
Storm
Separate storm sewer system, not combined: street drains carry rainwater and snowmelt directly to area lakes and streams while the sanitary system carries wastewater to the Water Reclamation Facility. Ravenna funds it through a stormwater utility charging…
Source: ravennaoh.govravennaoh.gov
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 2 ZIP codes
- 44266 · Ravenna47% of residents
- 44272 · Rootstown Township and Rootstown27% 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
Ravenna City does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from Ravenna City.
What the records show about Ravenna City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Ravenna City as owned by a local government. It has 5,540 service connections and serves 16,000 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
EPA's record says it has substantially implemented source water protection under Ohio's program, dating the program from 2025. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 330-296-2741.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Ravenna City: corrosion control, chlorine dioxide, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, powdered 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 Ravenna City since 2015.
EPA logs no violations of any kind for Ravenna City 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 Ravenna City was 3.7 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 4.1 ppb, in the period ending December 2020.
EPA has 6 sampling periods on file for Ravenna City 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 Ravenna City sent EPA, 5,590 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 181 |
| Not lead | 5,409 |
| All lines | 5,590 |
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 Ravenna City in 2023 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS result was PFBA 7.1 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Ravenna City (latest sample September 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 Ravenna City as sampled, most recently July 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 Ravenna City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 46.6 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 67.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 109 µg/L, from 128 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 37 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 55.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 114 µg/L, from 128 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 46.6 µg/L (2019) | 67.7 µg/L | 109 µg/L | 128 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 37 µg/L | 55.8 µg/L | 114 µg/L | 128 |
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 0.56 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2014; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.46 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 1.1 µg/L (limit 10); detections averaged 1.1; none over the limit.
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 96 | 0.56 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | 1.1 µg/L | 10 µg/L | 0 |
| Combined radium | 1 | not detected | 5 pCi/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 9 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 9 | 0 of 9 | 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: chromium in 1 of 8 samples, highest 1.36 µg/L (limit 100); barium in 7 of 8 samples, highest 29 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 | 1 of 8 | 1.36 µg/L | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 7 of 8 | 29 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.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 1,456 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Ravenna City tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 180 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 Ravenna City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Ravenna City.
Measured fluoride: 0.5 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (below the 0.7 mg/L target); samples ran from 0.5 to 1.23 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 Ravenna City, 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 24 times in 236 raw-water samples, across 3 bloom seasons (2023 to 2025); the highest raw-water result was 3.435 µg/L on December 31, 2024. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 3.435 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (93 samples).
In all, 329 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 236 | 24 | 3.435 µg/L |
| Treated water | 93 | 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 Ravenna City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $364 a year, about $30 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $751 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $182 | $488 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $364 | $751 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $583 | $1,067 |
The survey lists it as “Ravenna”. 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 Ravenna City 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 16,762 residents are inside the boundary, 105% of the 16,000 people Ravenna City 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 OH6703211 (EPA ECHO).
Ravenna City's own pages: ravennaoh.gov
Notable facts: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov, codelibrary.amlegal.com, ravennaoh.gov
History: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov
Water quality: ravennaoh.gov
Planned work: ravennaoh.gov
Water pressure: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov
Capital projects: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov
Rates: codelibrary.amlegal.com, ravennaoh.gov
Sewers: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov
Treatment: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov
Supply stress: ravennaoh.gov, ravennaoh.gov
