Water system
Alliance City
EPA ID OH7600011 · Stark County · 22,232 people served · owned by a local government
Alliance City treats its own water from Walborn Reservoir + Deer Creek Reservoir + Mahoning River.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Walborn Reservoir, Deer Creek Reservoir, Mahoning River
- Raw intakes
- Alliance Walborn Reservoir
Alliance Deer Creek Reservo
Alliance Mahoning River Int - Serves
- 22,232 people · Stark County
- EPA ID
- OH7600011
About this area's water
Did you know
- Alliance calls itself "The Carnation City," a name printed on the masthead of its annual water quality report.
- Walborn and Deer Creek reservoirs together hold about 2.85 billion gallons of raw water — roughly a year and a half of supply for a 10-MGD plant running flat out.
- The plant uses ultraviolet advanced oxidation, an unusually advanced step for a city of 22,000.
- The Mahoning River backup intake has not been used since 1999, but Alliance still keeps the pumps fully operational in case it is ever needed.
- When Stark Parks lowers Deer Creek Reservoir for park construction, manganese in the raw water goes up — the city posts a public notice about it rather than letting residents guess at the discolored water.
History6
- 1895Alliance's original sewage treatment plant was built on Keystone Street, the root of the current wastewater system.
- 1954Deer Creek Reservoir dedicated on October 25 to supply raw water to the Alliance Water Treatment Plant.
- 1990…City Council authorized construction of the current 10-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant.
- 1993 (July)The current Alliance Water Treatment Plant began operation.
- 1999The Mahoning River secondary intake was last used; the pumps are still kept fully operational as an emergency backup source.
- 2003Alliance's Drinking Water Source Assessment report prepared, rating the surface supply as having high susceptibility to contamination.
Source: cityofalliance.comcityofalliance.comcityofalliance.com
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Raw water is drawn through a multi-level intake structure on Deer Creek Reservoir and conveyed to the treatment plant at 12251 Rockhill Avenue NE. The 10-MGD plant, authorized by City Council in February 1990 and in operation since July 1993, uses chlorine dioxide oxidation, powdered activated…
Source: cityofalliance.comcityofalliance.com
Water pressure
No system-average pressure is published. The 2025 CCR discloses one January 2025 disruption in which about 5,000 service connections on the south end of town, supplied from the…
Source: cityofalliance.com
What it costs
$9.20 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $35 a month for water.
Rate year April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Inside city: water $6.88 per 100 cubic feet (1 CCF = 748 gal, so $9.20 per 1,000 gallons), MR sewer $4.12/CCF, DR sewer $0.53/CCF…
Source: cityofalliance.com
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 24.2 to 86 ppb. Individual results ran above the 80 ppb MCL value, but compliance is judged on the locational… | 63.6 ppb | 80 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range 11.8 to 32.5 ppb; disinfection byproduct. | 29.2 ppb | 60 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Chlorite Range <0.02 to 0.59 ppm. Byproduct of the plant's chlorine dioxide oxidation step. MCLG 0.8. | 0.43 ppm | 1.0 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Chlorine dioxide Range 0.00 to 0.037 ppm; oxidant used at the head of the plant. | 0.037 ppm | 0.8 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Chlorine Range 0.82 to 1.51 ppm; disinfectant residual. | 1.24 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Turbidity Range 0.06 to 0.25 NTU; lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting the limit was 100%. | 0.25 (highest) NTU | TT (0.3 NTU in… | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Range 1.57 to 2.22. Removal ratio; a value above 1 indicates compliance. | 1.89 ratio | TT | 2025 |
| Total Coliform Range 0 to 0. | 0 positive… | TT | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0.11 to 0.76 ppm; well below MCL. | 0.76 ppm | 10 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.78 to 1.19 ppm; added for dental benefit plus natural erosion. | 1.06 ppm | 4 (MCL) | 2025 |
Source: cityofalliance.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.9 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2023Surface Water Treatment Rule · required treatment not met · returned to compliance
- 2021Surface Water Treatment Rule · required treatment not met · returned to compliance
- 2016Surface Water Treatment Rule · required treatment not met · returned to compliance
EPA's count of 4 includes 1 repeat quarterly violation of the problems listed.
2 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 health-based.
Projects & plans3
Recent and current work
- Water Service Line Replacement Project · 2020s · under construction
City-run program tied to Lead and Copper Rule service-line work; the city's project page links application forms, an FAQ and Ohio EPA lead service line… - Service Line Inventory (SLIM) · completed
Lead and Copper Rule-mandated inventory of service line materials, published as a public spreadsheet on the city's Water & Sewer Distribution page. - Deer Creek Park boat ramp and parking lot improvement (Stark Parks) · under construction
Stark Parks upgrade requiring a temporary reservoir drawdown (posted as roughly October 24 to November 24, with no year given on the city notice). The lower…
Source: cityofalliance.comcityofalliance.comcityofalliance.com
Supply stress
Alliance's primary supply is the Walborn and Deer Creek Reservoirs, with a combined raw water storage potential of 2.85 billion gallons (the city's water page states 2.9 billion). The Mahoning River is a secondary source, unused since 1999 but with pumps kept fully operational. The city's Drinking Water Source Assessment rates the…
Sewers
Sanitary
The City of Alliance operates its own wastewater treatment plant at 12251 Rockhill Avenue NE (the department traces to an 1895 plant on Keystone Street), treating domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater from the city and surrounding areas. Final effluent discharges to the Mahoning River at the head works of Berlin Reservoir. The…
Storm
Alliance publishes no stormwater utility, separate storm fee, or CSO status on its water and wastewater pages.
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
- 44601 · Alliance71% 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
Alliance 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 Alliance City.
What the records show about Alliance City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Alliance City as owned by a local government. It has 9,944 service connections and serves 22,232 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 330-829-2241.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Alliance City: aeration, corrosion control, chlorine dioxide, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, powdered activated carbon, sand or media filtration, and ultraviolet disinfection.
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 4 health-based violations for Alliance City since 2015. Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a required treatment step not carried out. They fall into 3 separate problems (one contaminant or rule in one year); the table lists them all.
EPA logs a violation for each compliance period a problem lasts, so the count of 4 includes 1 repeat entry of the problems listed.
EPA logs 2 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 health-based.
| Year | Contaminant or rule | Kind | Measured | Limit | Status in EPA's record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | required treatment not met | not on file | not on file | returned to compliance |
| 2021 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | required treatment not met | not on file | not on file | returned to compliance |
| 2016 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | required treatment not met | not on file | not on file | returned to compliance |
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 Alliance City was 1.9 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 3 ppb, in the period ending December 2022.
EPA has 8 sampling periods on file for Alliance 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 Alliance City sent EPA, 9,968 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 1,664 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 8,304 |
| All lines | 9,968 |
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 8 samples of the water entering the pipes of Alliance City in 2023 to 2024 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 5.4 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Alliance 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 Alliance City as sampled, most recently August 2024.
| 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 Alliance City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 62.3 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 72.5 µg/L and the highest single sample was 121.5 µg/L, from 136 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 34 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 34 µg/L and the highest single sample was 72.4 µg/L, from 128 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 62.3 µg/L (2019) | 72.5 µg/L | 121.5 µg/L | 136 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 34 µg/L | 34 µg/L | 72.4 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 0.76 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2018; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.62 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) | 96 | 0.76 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: barium in 8 of 8 samples, highest 37 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, 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 | 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 | 37 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 2,633 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Alliance City tested positive (0.08%); in 2019, the last year on file, 1 of 320 did. E. coli was never found in the 2 samples 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 Alliance City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Alliance City.
Measured fluoride: 1 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.91 to 1.12 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 Alliance City, last sampled in 2024 (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 252 times in 441 raw-water samples, across 11 bloom seasons (2016 to 2026); the highest raw-water result was 9.95 µg/L on May 17, 2021. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 1.74 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (441 samples).
In all, 882 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 19, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 441 | 252 | 9.95 µg/L |
| Treated water | 441 | 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 Alliance City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $459 a year, about $38 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $408 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $250 | $246 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $459 | $408 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $709 | $604 |
The survey lists it as “Alliance”. 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
The service area drawn on the map for Alliance City comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 23,837 residents are inside the boundary, 107% of the 22,232 people Alliance 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 OH7600011 (EPA ECHO).
Alliance City's own pages: en.wikipedia.org
Notable facts: cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com
History: cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com
Water quality: cityofalliance.com
Water pressure: cityofalliance.com
Capital projects: cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com
Rates: cityofalliance.com
Sewers: cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com
Treatment: cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com
Supply stress: cityofalliance.com, cityofalliance.com
