Water system
Chillicothe City
EPA ID OH7100112 · Ross County · 21,725 people served · owned by a local government
Chillicothe City treats its own water from Scioto Buried Valley Aquifer (Teays Valley system) wells.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Scioto Buried River Valley Aquifer (Teays Valley Aquifer)
- Water bodies
- Scioto River valley (buried aquifer)
- Active wells
- 8
- Serves
- 21,725 people · Ross County
- EPA ID
- OH7100112
About this area's water
Did you know
- The city's wells sit inside Yoctangee Park, drawing from the buried channel of the ancient Teays River — a prehistoric river system erased by glaciation and buried under younger sediment long before the modern Scioto…
- The plant pumps roughly a billion gallons a year; treatment chemicals run about $375,000 annually and electricity about $200,000, the plant's two largest costs.
- Chillicothe's Scioto River floodwall doubles as recreation infrastructure: it carries a 5-mile paved bike path.
- The city keeps emergency water connections to Ross County Water Company and the Chillicothe Correctional Institution — and used neither in 2025.
- An original 3.8-million-gallon storage basin on Carlisle Hill is topped with a floating rubber cover.
History5
- 1941The city's water treatment plant on Park Street opened; it was later demolished and the site is now Veterans Memorial Park.
- 1991The current Chillicothe water treatment plant, in Yoctangee Park next to the well field, went into service, replacing the 1941 Park Street plant.
- 2003Ohio EPA source water assessment completed for the city's well field, rating the aquifer highly susceptible to contamination.
- 2019Source water assessment updated in May 2019.
- 2022Source water assessment revised again in September 2022.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Raw water is drawn from seven deep wells in Yoctangee Park, immediately adjacent to the treatment plant, in the Scioto Buried River Valley (Teays Valley) aquifer. The plant lime-softens the water to remove hardness, then adds carbon dioxide to readjust pH after softening; chlorine is added as a…
Source: cms7files.revize.com
Water pressure
Not published; no distribution pressure figures appear in the CCR, the utilities department pages, or local reporting on the plant.
What it costs
$6.62 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $28 a month for water.
Inside-city block schedule (City of Chillicothe Water & Sewer Rate Information sheet, no effective date printed): $8.48 minimum on a 3/4x5/8-inch meter covering the first 200…
Source: cms7files.revize.com
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 36.1-60.5 ppb; disinfection byproduct; no violation. The highest DBP reading of the three systems in this batch. | 60.5 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range ND-7.7 ppb; no violation. | 7.7 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Chlorine Range 1.10-1.29 ppm; water additive used to control microbes. | 1.18 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Natural deposits plus additive; no range reported; no violation. | 1.11 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| Nitrate Well below the MCL. | 0.15 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Barium Erosion of natural deposits; no range reported; no violation. | 0.18 ppm | 2 | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Not detected at any of 30 sites; 0 of 30 above the action level. | ND ppb | 15 (action… | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) Range 0.010-0.037 ppm; 0 of 30 sites above the action level. | 0.028 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2025 |
Source: cms7files.revize.com
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.
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).
Supply stress
Supply quantity is not the issue; source vulnerability is. Ohio EPA rates the Scioto Buried River Valley aquifer beneath the well field highly susceptible to contamination for three stated reasons: no protective clay layer over the aquifer, shallow depth (less than 20 feet below ground surface), and numerous significant potential…
Source: cms7files.revize.com
Sewers
Sanitary
The City of Chillicothe Utilities Department operates its own wastewater treatment plant alongside the water plant; Dale Goebel is the wastewater treatment plant supervisor and Randy Cartwright supervises water distribution and sanitary sewer collection. The department publishes sewer rates ($9.49 minimum plus $4.63 per 100 cubic feet…
Storm
No stormwater division, utility fee, or drainage program is listed by the Utilities Department, and none was found elsewhere. The city's Scioto River floodwall protects downtown from river flooding, but that is flood control rather than a storm sewer system.
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
- 45601 · Chillicothe46% 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
Chillicothe 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 Chillicothe City.
What the records show about Chillicothe City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Chillicothe City as owned by a local government. It has 10,205 service connections and serves 21,725 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 740-773-3435.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Chillicothe City: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, 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's record shows no health-based violations for Chillicothe City since 2015.
EPA logs 1 violation of any kind 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).
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 Chillicothe City 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 2.3 ppb, in the period ending December 2019.
EPA has 4 sampling periods on file for Chillicothe City since 2016, the first ending in 2016; 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 Chillicothe City sent EPA, 11,363 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 11,363 |
| All lines | 11,363 |
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 3 samples of the water entering the pipes of Chillicothe 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 PFBS 3 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Chillicothe 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 Chillicothe City as sampled, most recently May 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 Chillicothe City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 26.5 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 33.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 50.8 µg/L, from 43 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 3.4 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 8.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 15.2 µg/L, from 43 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 26.5 µg/L (2019) | 33.8 µg/L | 50.8 µg/L | 43 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 3.4 µg/L | 8.8 µg/L | 15.2 µg/L | 43 |
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 8 samples was 0.48 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2018; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.36 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 3 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 8 | 0.48 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 3 | 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 3 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | 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: barium in 3 of 3 samples, highest 26 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 3 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 3 | 3 of 3 | 26 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 3 | 0 of 3 | 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 2,882 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Chillicothe City tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 360 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 Chillicothe City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Chillicothe City.
Measured fluoride: 1.14 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 1.07 to 1.17 mg/L across 3 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 2 UCMR 5 samples at Chillicothe 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.
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Chillicothe City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $365 a year, about $30 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $321 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $174 | $162 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $365 | $321 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $593 | $512 |
The survey lists it as “Chillicothe”. 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 Chillicothe 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 26,207 residents are inside the boundary, 121% of the 21,725 people Chillicothe 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 — 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 OH7100112 (EPA ECHO).
Chillicothe City's own pages: cmuchillicothe.com, sciotopost.com
Notable facts: cms7files.revize.com, sciotopost.com, en.wikipedia.org
History: cms7files.revize.com, sciotopost.com
Water quality: cms7files.revize.com
Rates: cms7files.revize.com
Sewers: chillicotheoh.gov, cms7files.revize.com
Treatment: cms7files.revize.com
Supply stress: cms7files.revize.com
