Water system
Stow Public Water System
EPA ID OH7704503 · Summit County · 35,437 people served
Stow Public Water System buys its water from Akron City.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Lake Rockwell, Cuyahoga River, Wendell R. LaDue Reservoir, East Branch Reservoir
- Raw intakes
- Akron Lake Rockwell Inch
- Serves
- 280,000 people · Summit County
- EPA ID
- OH7700011
About this area's water
Did you know
- The Lake Rockwell plant that supplies Stow's water has been in service since 1915 - more than 110 years.
- Akron's 2022 CCR says treated water is pumped 11 miles to Akron through three force mains into equalizing reservoirs; 21% of the system sits high enough to need eight extra pumping districts.
- If Akron's supply is ever interrupted, partial backup connections exist to the water utilities of Kent, Hudson, Cleveland, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls.
- Stow's 2024 service line inventory, done from historical records and visual inspections, found no lead, galvanized-needing-replacement, or unknown-material lines anywhere in the system.
History5
- 1915Akron's Lake Rockwell treatment plant - enhanced coagulation, rapid sand filtration - enters service; it still supplies Stow today.
- 2001Stow is licensed by Ohio EPA to operate its own public water system, while still buying all finished water wholesale from Akron.
- 2011Akron enters the federal consent decree behind the Akron Waterways Renewed sewer program; Stow's sanitary flow feeds that system.
- 2023Akron publicly contests U.S. EPA's required $200M+ Enhanced High-Rate Treatment facility as unnecessary, asking residents to speak out.
- 2024On March 1 a federal judge rules Akron has no legal basis to amend the decree and must build the $209M EHRT facility; Akron appeals.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Stow buys 100% finished water from Akron, which treats Lake Rockwell (Upper Cuyahoga) water by enhanced coagulation and rapid sand filtration, then adds chlorine dioxide, zinc orthophosphate for corrosion control, chlorine, fluoride and caustic soda for pH.
Water pressure
Not published; the 2024 CCR gives no psi. Water enters at the Marsh Rd and N. Main St (Munroe Falls) booster stations; 21% of Akron's system is high-elevation.
What it costs
Not published. Stow bills water on the city utility bill, but no rate schedule appears on stowohio.gov (Utility Billing, Document Center and staff directory pages checked).
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM (Total Trihalomethanes) Disinfection byproduct; range 30.7-91.5 ppb, no violation. | 74.2 ppb | 80 ppb | 2024 |
| HAA5 (Five Haloacetic Acids) Disinfection byproduct; range 23.7-47.4 ppb, no violation. | 45.95 ppb | 60 ppb | 2024 |
| Copper (90th percentile) Range 0-0.199; 0 of 30 samples over the action level. | 0.136 ppm | 1.3 ppm action… | 2024 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Not detected; 0 of 30 samples over the action level. | 0 ppb | 15 ppb action… | 2024 |
| Total Chlorine (residual disinfectant) Stow distribution system; range 0.91-1.64 ppm, no violation. | 1.3041 ppm | 4 ppm (MRDL) | 2024 |
| Turbidity Measured at Akron's plant; range 0.02-0.18, 100% of samples met the standard. | 0.18 NTU | 1 NTU max; 0.3… | 2024 |
| Fluoride Akron plant data; range 0.77-1.10 ppm. | 0.98 ppm | 4 ppm | 2024 |
| Nitrate Akron plant data; range 0.02-0.33 ppm, far below the limit. | 0.33 ppm | 10 ppm | 2024 |
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2024 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2024Lead and Copper Rule Revisions · lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) · returned to compliance
3 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 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.
EPA compliance record · Akron City (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.7 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2025Haloacetic acids (HAA5) · above the legal limit on average · measured 0.062 MG/L · returned to compliance
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 health-based.
Projects & plans2
Recent and current work
- Akron Waterways Renewed (combined sewer overflow program) · $1000 million · 2011-2028 · under construction
Consent-decree sewer program; 24 of 26 projects complete, Northside Interceptor Tunnel under construction. Stow's sewage flows into this system.
Planned or needed
- Enhanced High-Rate Treatment (EHRT) facility · $209 million · 2024 · planned
Final consent-decree project. Akron contested it and lost at district court in March 2024; reporting says combined water/sewer bills could rise ~23%.
Supply stress
Stow has no source of its own and depends entirely on Akron's Lake Rockwell reservoir system, which Ohio EPA rated 'moderate susceptibility' in 2003 (farm runoff, septic systems, rail and road spills). Akron's plant is rated 67 MGD and averages 35 MGD for ~300,000 people, so supply is ample; the real pressure is consent-decree sewer cost.
Sewers
Sanitary
Stow's sewage goes to Akron's Water Reclamation Facility at 2460 Akron-Peninsula Rd (~62 MGD), which also serves Cuyahoga Falls, Springfield, Mogadore, Lakemore, Tallmadge, Fairlawn, Bath and Montrose. Akron's older core has combined sewers under a federal consent decree (entered 2011) requiring compliance by 2028.
Storm
Stow's own collection system uses separate storm sewers maintained by the city; we found no stormwater utility fee or major flooding issue.
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
- 44224 · Stow82% of residents
Also present in 2 more ZIP codes
- 44236 · Hudson1% of residents
- 44221 · Cuyahoga Falls0% 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
Stow Public Water System buys its water from Akron City.
No other system is on record buying water from Stow Public Water System.
What the records show about Stow Public Water System
Who runs it
EPA's record says Stow Public Water System has 13,297 service connections and serves 35,437 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
Its office telephone on EPA's record is 330-689-2911.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Stow Public Water System buys water that Akron City treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Akron 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 counts 1 health-based violation for Stow Public Water System 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 3 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) | 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 2024, the 90th-percentile lead result at Stow Public Water System 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 1.1 ppb, in the period ending December 2018.
EPA has 3 sampling periods on file for Stow Public Water System 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 Stow Public Water System sent EPA, 15,497 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 15,497 |
| All lines | 15,497 |
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 7 samples of the water entering the pipes of Stow Public Water System 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 Akron City (latest sample June 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 Akron City as sampled, most recently March 2026.
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 Stow Public Water System's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 52.4 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 65 µg/L and the highest single sample was 149 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 46.6 µg/L and the highest single sample was 99.2 µg/L, from 128 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 52.4 µg/L (2019) | 65 µg/L | 149 µg/L | 128 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 19.1 µg/L | 46.6 µg/L | 99.2 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
The water Stow Public Water System buys is treated by Akron City, so the results below are Akron City's.
Nitrate: the highest of 482 samples was 0.66 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2015; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.5 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) | 482 | 0.66 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | 1.1 µg/L | 10 µg/L | 0 |
| Combined radium | 1 | 2.1 pCi/L | 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 of Akron City.
Solvents and fuels
The water Stow Public Water System buys is treated by Akron City, so the results below are Akron City's.
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 of Akron City.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Stow Public Water System buys is treated by Akron City, so the results below are Akron City's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 7 of 8 samples, highest 45 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine in 11 samples, alachlor in 11 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 | 11 | 0 of 11 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | 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 | 7 of 8 | 45 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 of Akron City.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 23 of 3,857 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Stow Public Water System tested positive (0.6%); in 2019, the last year on file, 3 of 477 did. E. coli was never found in the 24 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 Stow Public Water System buys its water from Akron City, a system that adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Akron City, which treats the water Stow Public Water System buys.
Measured fluoride: 1.17 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Akron City, which supplies Stow Public Water System, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.83 to 1.17 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 Stow Public Water System, last sampled in 2025 (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
The water Stow Public Water System buys is treated by Akron City, so the results below are Akron City's.
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 30 times in 188 raw-water samples, across 4 bloom seasons (2016 to 2025); the highest raw-water result was 2.78 µg/L on June 20, 2017. The highest raw-water result since 2024 was 0.808 µg/L.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (119 samples).
In all, 307 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 10, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 188 | 30 | 2.78 µg/L |
| Treated water | 119 | 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
The service area drawn on the map for Stow Public Water System comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 32,064 residents are inside the boundary, 90% of the 35,437 people Stow Public Water System 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 — 3 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 OH7704503 (EPA ECHO).
Stow Public Water System's own pages: en.wikipedia.org