Water system
Ottawa Village
EPA ID OH6900711 · Putnam County · 4,393 people served · owned by a local government
Ottawa Village treats its own water from Blanchard River (via intake reservoir).
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Blanchard River
- Raw intakes
- Reservoir
Blanchard River - Serves
- 4,393 people · Putnam County
- EPA ID
- OH6900711
About this area's water
Did you know
- The Blanchard River is named for Jean Jacques Blanchard, described by the village as a French tailor who settled among the Shawnee along the river in 1769.
- Ottawa drinks from the Blanchard River and returns its treated wastewater to the same river: the water plant on Agner Street draws from the Blanchard, and the wastewater plant on Defiance Street discharges back into it.
- The water plant is designed for 3 million gallons a day, currently makes about 1.75 MGD, and is backed by a 116-million-gallon reservoir.
- Ohio EPA's source water assessment counted 162 miles of roads and 75 miles of rail lines — 1,066 road intersections and 48 rail crossings — upstream of the intake, any of which could put a hazardous-material spill into…
- The village sampled for more than 80 different contaminants in 2025, most of which were not detected; the CCR explains that a part per billion is about one second in 31.7 years.
History6
- 1861Village of Ottawa incorporated, in the first year of the Civil War; European-American settlement of the area began around 1835.
- 1999Wastewater treatment plant expanded in a $4.5 million project — two 75-foot final settling tanks, two UV disinfection channels, a sludge pumping and generator building, and an oxidation ditch —…
- 2003Ohio EPA completed a drinking water source assessment for Ottawa's Blanchard River intake in November 2003.
- 2023Source water protection area established for the system on April 12, 2023 (SDWIS).
- 2025Ohio EPA issued a Warning Letter on October 21, 2025 for failing to demonstrate that annual lead service line notifications required by July 1, 2025 had been delivered; the village supplied the…
- 2025Ohio EPA issued a Notice of Violation on November 13, 2025 requiring four corrections to the 2024 CCR: copper 90th percentile corrected to 0.075 ppm, the 2022 Gross Alpha detection added, atrazine…
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Surface water is drawn from the Blanchard River and its tributaries, south of the plant, into the village's reservoir and treated at the Ottawa Water Treatment Plant, 1972 Agner Street. Treatment is conventional surface-water treatment with filtration and chlorine disinfection; the plant is…
Source: ottawaohio.usottawaohio.usottawaohio.us
Water pressure
Not published. The 2025 CCR, the Water Department page and the Sewer Department page all give no distribution pressure figure or pressure-zone map.
Source: ottawaohio.usottawaohio.us
What it costs
$13.45 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $74 a month for water.
Water: $10.06 per 100 cubic feet 'or portion thereof' effective January 1, 2024 (up from $8.75 effective January 1, 2023) — the most recent water rate the Water Department page…
Source: ottawaohio.usottawaohio.us
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) MCL VIOLATION — highest locational running annual average, Q4 2025; individual results ranged 37.9-129.4 ppb.… | 83.4 ppb | 80 ppb (MCL) | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range 20.7-51.0; disinfection by-product, just over half the MCL. | 31.8 ppb | 60 ppb (MCL) | 2025 |
| Chloroform (unregulated) Range 22.5-87.0; the dominant component of Ottawa's trihalomethanes. | 87 ppb | no individual… | 2025 |
| Bromodichloromethane (unregulated) Range 9.2-28.1. Dibromochloromethane 13.7 ppb and bromoform 1.6 ppb were also reported. | 28.1 ppb | no individual… | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0.53-3.0; fertilizer runoff, septic tanks, erosion of natural deposits in an agricultural watershed. | 3.0 ppm | 10 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.83-1.30. | 1.12 ppm | 4 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Barium Under 1% of the MCL. | 0.016 ppm | 2 ppm (MCL) | 2025 |
| Total Chlorine Range 1.4-2.1; the village is lowering residuals where it can as part of its TTHM correction. | 1.858 ppm | 4 ppm (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) Corrected value per the November 13, 2025 Ohio EPA NOV; 0 of 25 samples above the action level. | 0.075 ppm | 1.3 ppm (Action… | 2023 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 25 samples above the action level. | <2.0 ppb | 15 ppb (Action… | 2023 |
Source: ottawaohio.us
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2023 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.086 MG/L (limit 0.08 MG/L) · known
24 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 20 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 3 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records); 1 health-based.
Projects & plans6
Recent and current work
- Wastewater treatment plant expansion · $4.5 million · 1999 · completed
Two 75-foot-diameter final settling tanks, two UV disinfection channels totalling 5.0 MGD, a sludge pumping and generator building, and an oxidation ditch for… - Green Meadow Drive sewer lining · $96,045 · 2026 · planned
Resolution 8631, passed May 11, 2026, accepting American Trenchless's bid not to exceed $96,045. Council reviewed lining on Northview Court at the same meeting… - Lead service line inventory (with Arcadis engineering) · 2026 · under construction
Village is working with Arcadis to build and maintain a complete service line inventory after the October 2025 warning letter; required notifications and the… - TTHM corrective measures at the water plant · 2026 · under construction
Adjusting treatment to optimize disinfection and reduce by-product formation, optimizing chlorine feed rates and lowering residuals where appropriate, and…
Source: ottawaohio.usottawaohio.usottawaohio.us
Planned or needed
- Wastewater treatment plant facility planning document (Jones & Henry Engineers, Ltd.) · 2026 · proposed
Ordinance authorizing acceptance of the Jones & Henry proposal without competitive bidding was on second reading at the May 11, 2026 council meeting. The… - Miller City water tank repair · 2026 · planned
Cited by the public works director on May 11, 2026 as work that 'will also help' the TTHM situation, indicating the tank is part of Ottawa's distribution…
Source: ottawaohio.us
Supply stress
The intake is on the Blanchard River, and Ohio EPA's November 2003 source water assessment treats all Ohio surface waters as susceptible and requiring extensive treatment; Ottawa's protection area contains agricultural and feed-lot runoff, home construction, unsewered areas, combined sewer overflows, wastewater treatment discharges…
Sewers
Sanitary
Ottawa Wastewater Treatment Plant, 1371 Defiance Street, serving the villages of Ottawa and Glandorf plus portions of Ottawa Township and discharging to the Blanchard River, a Maumee River tributary. Treatment is contact stabilization with an oxidation ditch run in extended-aeration mode, plus UV disinfection. Rated 3.0 MGD since the…
Storm
Not published. No storm sewer or stormwater program information appears on the village site.
Source: ottawaohio.usottawaohio.us
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Present in 1 ZIP code
Serves
Main water supplier in 1 ZIP code
- 45875 · Ottawa39% 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
Ottawa Village does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
2 systems on record buy water from Ottawa Village: Bluffton Village, Glandorf Village.
What the records show about Ottawa Village
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Ottawa Village as owned by a local government. It has 1,920 service connections and serves 4,393 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 2023. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 419-523-5020.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Ottawa Village: aeration, corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, lime softening, 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 counts 1 health-based violation for Ottawa Village since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. It falls into 1 separate problem (one contaminant or rule in one year); the table lists it.
EPA logs 24 violations of any kind since 2020: 20 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 3 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records); 1 health-based.
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | above the legal limit on average | 0.086 mg/L | 0.08 mg/L | known |
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 Ottawa 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.
The highest result on file is 1 ppb, in the period ending December 2020.
EPA has 3 sampling periods on file for Ottawa Village 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 Ottawa Village sent EPA, 2,048 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 1 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 1,277 |
| Not lead | 770 |
| All lines | 2,048 |
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 4 samples of the water entering the pipes of Ottawa Village in 2024 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS results were PFPeA 90.4 ng/L, PFHxA 51.8 ng/L, and PFBA 12.4 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Ottawa Village (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 Ottawa Village's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 57 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 83.5 µg/L and the highest single sample was 178.1 µg/L, from 84 samples taken from 2012 to 2019. A yearly average over 80 is not itself a violation, because compliance is judged site by site.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 26 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 40.4 µg/L and the highest single sample was 57.8 µg/L, from 72 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 57 µg/L (2019) | 83.5 µg/L | 178.1 µg/L | 84 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 26 µg/L | 40.4 µg/L | 57.8 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 95 samples was 3.5 mg/L (as nitrogen), in 2019, the last year sampled. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 8 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 95 | 3.5 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | 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.
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 12 of 24 samples, highest 3.1 µg/L (limit 3, 1 over); barium in 8 of 8 samples, highest 108 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: alachlor in 23 samples, chromium in 8 samples, cadmium in 8 samples, mercury in 8 samples, selenium in 8 samples, thallium in 8 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 24 | 12 of 24 | 3.1 µg/L | 1 |
| 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 | 8 of 8 | 108 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, 1 of 498 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Ottawa Village tested positive (0.2%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 70 did. E. coli was never found in the 1 sample tested for it.
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 Ottawa Village adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Ottawa Village.
Measured fluoride: 0.96 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.91 to 1.2 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 found in 3 of 4 UCMR 5 samples at Ottawa Village, highest 11.9 µg/L; detections averaged 10.7, last sampled in 2024.
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.
No microcystin was detected in the 339 raw-water samples.
In treated water, microcystin was detected 1 time; the highest result was 0.493 µg/L (September 2018), above the 0.3 µg/L level for children under six.
In all, 663 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 339 | 0 | not detected |
| Treated water | 324 | 1 | 0.493 µg/L |
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 Ottawa Village for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $744 a year, about $62 a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $393 | not on file |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $744 | not on file |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $1,165 | not on file |
The survey lists it as “Ottawa”. 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 Ottawa 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 4,451 residents are inside the boundary, 101% of the 4,393 people Ottawa 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 OH6900711 (EPA ECHO).
Ottawa Village's own pages: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us
Notable facts: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us
History: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, data.epa.gov
Water quality: ottawaohio.us
Planned work: ottawaohio.us
Water pressure: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us
Capital projects: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us
Rates: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us
Sewers: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us
Treatment: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, data.epa.gov
Supply stress: ottawaohio.us, ottawaohio.us, data.epa.gov
