Water system
Fremont City
EPA ID OH7200311 · Sandusky County · 18,319 people served · owned by a local government
Fremont City treats its own water from Sandusky River (via Ballville Dam intake and city reservoir).
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Sandusky River, Fremont Reservoir
- Raw intakes
- Reservoir
Sandusky River - Serves
- 18,319 people · Sandusky County
- EPA ID
- OH7200311
About this area's water
Did you know
- Removing Fremont's 1913 Ballville Dam in 2018 cost about $12 million — roughly $15 million less than repairing it would have — and reopened 22 miles of the Sandusky River.
- An angler snagged a lake sturgeon above the old dam site in spring 2019; ODNR biologists said it was likely the first one seen there in about 150 years.
- More than 11,000 freshwater mussels of 14 native species, including purple wartyback and round pigtoe, were hand-relocated upstream in the summer of 2017 before the dam came down.
- Fremont's water never touches a well: it is pumped out of the Sandusky River into a reservoir, then runs downhill by gravity to the treatment plant on Tiffin Street.
- Every Fremont water and sewer connection carries a separate line-item surcharge for EPA-mandated improvements on top of the normal rate — $7.77 a month on the water side and $6.95 on the sewer side for a typical in-city…
History6
- 1913Ballville Dam built on the Sandusky River by the Ohio Power Company, roughly 420 feet wide and 35 feet tall.
- 1959The City of Fremont purchases Ballville Dam and begins using its impoundment as a drinking water supply.
- 2013Fremont opens a new off-stream water supply reservoir, taking over the storage role the dam pool had served.
- 2017Ahead of the dam's removal, more than 11,000 freshwater mussels representing 14 native species, including purple wartyback and round pigtoe, are relocated upstream.
- 2018Ballville Dam demolished over roughly 20 working days, following a 2017 pilot notch cut. Removal cost about $12 million against an estimated $27 million to repair and upgrade the aging dam, and…
- 2019An angler lands a lake sturgeon upstream of the old dam site — the first known sturgeon there in roughly 150 years.
Source: greatlakesnow.orgfremontohio.org
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Fremont's source is the Sandusky River, classified as surface water. Water is pumped from the river into the Fremont Reservoir and flows by gravity from the reservoir to the Fremont Water Treatment Plant at 1113 Tiffin Street. Treatment is conventional surface-water practice — filtration (turbidity…
Source: fremontohio.org
Water pressure
Not published. No psi figure appears in the water quality reports or rate schedules.
Source: fremontohio.orgfremontohio.org
What it costs
$9.09 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $70 a month for water.
City of Fremont water rate schedule for bills rendered on or after January 1, 2026. Residential inside city, 5/8-inch meter: $16.84 fixed monthly charge, plus a commodity charge…
Source: fremontohio.org
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) The 2020 CCR is internally inconsistent here: the stated level found exceeds the top of its own reported range, and the… | 80.4 reported… ppb | 80 | 2020 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct, within limit. | 21.2 (range… ppb | 60 | 2020 |
| Nitrate Fertilizer runoff and septic leaching from the agricultural Sandusky watershed; within limit but well above the levels… | 3.77 (range… ppm | 10 | 2020 |
| Atrazine Herbicide runoff from row crops; within limit. | 0.28 (range… ppb | 3 | 2020 |
| Simazine Herbicide runoff from row crops; within limit. | 0.06 (range… ppb | 4 | 2020 |
| Fluoride Natural deposits plus fluoridation. | 0.97 (range… ppm | 4 | 2020 |
| Barium Drilling wastes, metal refineries, natural deposits. | 0.015 ppm | 2 | 2020 |
| Chlorine Residual disinfectant. | 1.24 (range… ppm | MRDL = 4 | 2020 |
| Turbidity Filtration performance. | 0.10 maximum… NTU | TT (0.3 NTU in… | 2020 |
| Total Organic Carbon (removal… Fremont removed twice the required percentage of organic carbon; ratios above 1.0 are compliant. | 2.0 (monthly… ratio | TT (must exceed… | 2020 |
Source: fremontohio.org
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.
Projects & plans3
Recent and current work
- Ballville Dam removal and Sandusky River restoration · $12 million · 2018 · completed
Removal cost about $12 million against an estimated $27 million to repair the 1913 dam. Demolition took roughly 20 working days after a 2017 pilot notch cut… - Fremont Reservoir · 2013 · completed
New off-stream water supply reservoir, fed by pumping from the Sandusky River and draining by gravity to the treatment plant; it replaced the dam impoundment's…
Source: greatlakesnow.org
Planned or needed
- EPA-mandated improvements program (water and sewer) · 2026 · planned
Effective January 1, 2026 every water connection pays a separate EPA-mandated-improvements fee ($7.77/month in city, $9.33 out of city, on a 5/8-inch meter…
Source: fremontohio.org
Supply stress
High. Fremont's own water quality report states that its surface water source is considered to have HIGH susceptibility to contamination, naming agricultural runoff, oil and gas wells, inadequate septic systems, leaking underground storage tanks, and road and rail crossings as potential contaminant sources. Nitrate at 3.77 ppm and…
Source: fremontohio.orgfremontohio.org
Sewers
Sanitary
The City of Fremont operates its own wastewater utility, the Water Reclamation Center. Sewer rates for bills rendered on or after January 1, 2026 are tiered monthly per 100 cubic feet: in city, $6.10 on the first 200 cu ft, $5.85 on the next 4,000, $5.57 on the next 4,000, $5.34 on the next 4,000 and $4.94 above 12,200 cu ft…
Storm
No storm sewer description and no stormwater utility fee appear in the 2026 water and sewer rate schedule.
Source: fremontohio.orgfremontohio.org
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
- 43420 · Fremont61% 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
Fremont 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 Fremont City.
What the records show about Fremont City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Fremont City as owned by a local government. It has 7,800 service connections and serves 18,319 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 419-334-5900.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Fremont City: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, granular activated carbon, 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's record shows no health-based violations for Fremont City since 2015.
EPA logs no violations of any kind for Fremont 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 Fremont 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.
EPA has 7 sampling periods on file for Fremont City 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 Fremont City sent EPA, 6,565 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 176 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 531 |
| Unknown material | 2,637 |
| Not lead | 3,221 |
| All lines | 6,565 |
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 Fremont City in 2024 to 2025 and measured 29 PFAS. No PFAS was detected, PFOA and PFOS (federal limit 4 ng/L each) among them.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Fremont 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 Fremont City as sampled, most recently July 2025.
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 Fremont City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 59.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 65.1 µg/L and the highest single sample was 122.2 µg/L, from 128 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 19.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 19.1 µg/L and the highest single sample was 29.2 µg/L, from 128 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 59.9 µg/L (2019) | 65.1 µg/L | 122.2 µg/L | 128 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 19.1 µg/L | 19.1 µg/L | 29.2 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 129 samples was 8.31 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2012; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 3.64 mg/L. 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) | 129 | 8.31 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 all nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: atrazine in 30 of 33 samples, highest 5 µg/L (limit 3, 1 over); 2,4-D in 1 of 3 samples, highest 0.13 µg/L (limit 70); barium in 7 of 8 samples, highest 26 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: alachlor in 33 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 | 33 | 30 of 33 | 5 µg/L | 1 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 33 | 0 of 33 | not detected | 0 |
| 2,4-D | Farm chemical | 70 µg/L | 3 | 1 of 3 | 0.13 µg/L | 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 | 26 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, 2 of 1,868 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Fremont City tested positive (0.11%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 241 did. E. coli was found in 1 of 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 Fremont City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Fremont City.
Measured fluoride: 0.94 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.94 to 1.21 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 2 of 4 UCMR 5 samples at Fremont City, highest 14 µg/L; detections averaged 12.1, last sampled in 2025.
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 3 times in 223 raw-water samples, across 1 bloom season (2019); the highest raw-water result was 13.4 µg/L on July 29, 2019. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (93 samples).
In all, 316 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 223 | 3 | 13.4 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).
How well the service area is mapped
EPA estimated the service area of Fremont 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 18,012 residents are inside the boundary, 98% of the 18,319 people Fremont 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 OH7200311 (EPA ECHO).
Fremont City's own pages: fremontohio.org, fremontohio.org
Notable facts: greatlakesnow.org, fremontohio.org, fremontohio.org
History: greatlakesnow.org, fremontohio.org
Water quality: fremontohio.org
Planned work: fremontohio.org
Water pressure: fremontohio.org, fremontohio.org
Capital projects: greatlakesnow.org
Rates: fremontohio.org
Sewers: fremontohio.org, fremontohio.org
Treatment: fremontohio.org
Supply stress: fremontohio.org, fremontohio.org
