Water system
Niles City
EPA ID OH7802403 · Trumbull County · 21,961 people served · owned by a local government
Niles City buys its water from Mahoning Valley Sanitary District.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Meander Creek Reservoir, Berlin Reservoir
- Raw intakes
- Meander Creek Reservoir
Berlin Reservoir - EPA ID
- OH7801811
About this area's water
Did you know
- Meander Creek Reservoir runs about seven miles long across 2,010 acres with 40 miles of shoreline, holding roughly 10 billion gallons at the top of the spillway — plus about another billion gallons held back by an…
- The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District owns 7,510 acres around its reservoir, 5,500 of them reforested with 4 million evergreen trees and ringed by 35 miles of fencing.
- MVSD puts the cost of its water at about two-tenths of one cent per gallon, and serves roughly 220,000 people with 53 full-time employees.
- Niles was founded in 1806 by James Heaton, who built one of Ohio's first iron works and a grist mill and dam on Mosquito Creek — the same creek that helped flood the town in 1913.
- In one year, 2025, Niles crews patched 106 water main breaks — about one every three and a half days across roughly 100 miles of pipe.
History6
- 1806James Heaton founded the settlement that became Niles, building a log home, and in 1806-07 a grist mill, dam and mill race on Mosquito Creek; he ran one of Ohio's earliest iron works. He platted 54…
- 1913The Great Flood began Easter Sunday, March 23; the Mahoning River and Mosquito Creek flooded Niles. Ohio's statewide losses were 428 confirmed dead, 20,000 homes destroyed and damage exceeding $300…
- 1920A petitioning effort began in the Mahoning Valley to secure a new regional water source.
- 1925Youngstown and Niles settled as the founding member cities of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District after efforts to unite the whole valley failed.
- 1929-1932The Mineral Ridge Dam was built on Meander Creek, impounding Meander Creek Reservoir, at a total project cost of about $9.2 million.
- 1932MVSD began officially delivering water to Youngstown and Niles on July 9.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Niles buys finished water from the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, which draws from Meander Creek Reservoir and treats it at its plant near Mineral Ridge. MVSD treatment includes chemical addition for softening, disinfection, fluoridation, taste-and-odor control, mixing, settling, filtration and…
Source: thecityofniles.commeanderwater.orgthecityofniles.com
Water pressure
Not published. The city notes only that boil advisories are issued when water mains lose adequate pressure — from a break or a planned repair — because depressurized lines can…
Source: thecityofniles.com
What it costs
$5.25 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $30 a month for water.
2026 rates: water inside the city $0.00525 per gallon ($5.25 per 1,000 gal); water outside the city $0.00788 per gallon ($7.88 per 1,000 gal); sewer $0.0113 per gallon ($11.30 per…
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 32.6 to 78.7 ppb. Sampled in the Niles distribution system. No violation. | 51.65 ppb | 80 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range 19.4 to 42.1 ppb. Sampled in the Niles distribution system. | 37.575 ppb | 60 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Total Chlorine Range 1.76 to 3.21 ppm in the Niles distribution system; 2.25 ppm (1.87 to 3.11) as leaving MVSD. | 2.27 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Zero of 60 samples exceeded the action level. | 1.01 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025… |
| Lead (90th percentile) The CCR records a 90th percentile of 0.7487 ppb and no violation, but the accompanying sentence states "1 out of 61… | 0.7487 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025… |
| Copper (90th percentile) Zero of 60 samples exceeded the action level. Second-half round: 0.0678 ppm, zero of 61 over. | 0.0455 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2025… |
| PFOS A single MVSD sample, reported at 4.6 parts per trillion against the new 4.0 ppt MCL. The CCR records no violation —… | 0.0046 ppb | 0.004 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Nitrate Detections up to 0.56 ppm; MVSD source water. | 0.33 ppm | 10 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.85 to 1.10 ppm; MVSD adds fluoride. | 1.00 ppm | 4 (MCL) | 2025 |
| Turbidity Range 0.02 to 0.09 NTU; highest recorded 0.09. The CCR's turbidity section states the lowest monthly percentage meeting… | 0.03 NTU | TT (0.3 NTU in… | 2025 |
Source: thecityofniles.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0.8 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
2 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).
EPA compliance record · Mahoning Valley Sanitary District (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
Projects & plans4
Recent and current work
- 2025 distribution system repair and renewal program · 2025 · completed
106 water main breaks repaired, 2 leaking/inoperable valves repaired, 16 hydrants replaced, 174 curb boxes replaced, Johnny Cake Road water line replaced, 7 of… - Lead service line inventory and identification (LSLI) · 2024-2025 · under construction
Nearly 400 service lines potholed in 2025 to confirm materials; the public inventory is hosted at pws-ptd.120wateraudit.com/nilesoh. Replacement scope and cost…
Source: thecityofniles.com
Planned or needed
- Mineral Ridge Dam Rehabilitation Project (MVSD) · planned
Ohio EPA completed a Limited Environmental Review and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, concluding no Supplemental Study or Environmental Assessment… - Phase III Valve Improvement Project (MVSD) · planned
Listed among MVSD's current projects with a Limited Environmental Review document; scope, cost and timeline not published.
Source: meanderwater.org
Supply stress
Meander Creek Reservoir is a large, secure supply — the Niles CCR puts its capacity at 11 billion gallons, and MVSD describes about 10 billion gallons at the top of the spillway plus roughly another billion held by an inflatable bladder system, across an 86.5-square-mile drainage basin. MVSD holds an agreement with the US Army Corps of…
Sewers
Sanitary
The City of Niles Sewer and Wastewater Department, under superintendent Jason Carcelli, maintains the sanitary mains and operates the city's wastewater treatment plant, handling domestic and commercial waste. Sewer is billed volumetrically at $0.0113 per gallon ($11.30 per 1,000 gallons) in 2026, more than twice the in-city water rate.…
Storm
The same department handles storm sewer cleaning and repairs; both sanitary sewage and stormwater are collected in the city's system and conveyed to the wastewater plant. The city publishes a Stormwater Management Plan, a Storm Water Pollution Prevention…
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
- 44446 · Niles94% of residents
Also present in 4 more ZIP codes
- 44440 · Weathersfield Township and Mineral Ridge4% of residents
- 44437 · Mcdonald and Mc Donald3% of residents
- 44420 · Girard2% of residents
- 44484 · Howland Township and Warren1% 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
Niles City buys its water from Mahoning Valley Sanitary District.
4 systems on record buy water from Niles City: Girard City, Trumbull Co. - Howland Twp, Trumbull Co. - Mineral Ridge, Trumbull Co. - Southeast.
What the records show about Niles City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Niles City as owned by a local government. It has 9,710 service connections and serves 21,961 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 330-544-9000.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Niles City buys water that Mahoning Valley Sanitary District treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Mahoning Valley Sanitary District: chloramine disinfection, 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's record shows no health-based violations for Niles City since 2015.
EPA logs 2 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).
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 Niles City was 0.8 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 4 ppb, in the period ending June 2022.
EPA has 10 sampling periods on file for Niles 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 Niles City sent EPA, 7,492 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 4 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 39 |
| Unknown material | 7,159 |
| Not lead | 290 |
| All lines | 7,492 |
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 5 samples of the water entering the pipes of Niles City in 2024 to 2025 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 9 ng/L, is at or above the federal limit of 4 ng/L that EPA set in 2024. Systems have until 2029 to comply, and in May 2026 EPA proposed letting systems apply for two more years. One sample over the limit is not a violation: compliance is judged on a running annual average.
The highest PFAS results were PFOS 9 ng/L, PFBA 5.9 ng/L, and PFHxS 3.6 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Mahoning Valley Sanitary District (latest sample May 2021). The highest result was PFOS at 10.9 ppt (ppt is the same unit as ng/L), against Ohio's action level of 70 ppt. Those action levels are the ones Ohio EPA used for the survey; the 2024 federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's current sampling status map lists 1 plant of Mahoning Valley Sanitary District as sampled, most recently July 2026.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | 9 ng/L | 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 Niles City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 46 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 65.9 µg/L and the highest single sample was 156 µg/L, from 132 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 31.9 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 45.9 µg/L and the highest single sample was 63.1 µg/L, from 132 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 46 µg/L (2019) | 65.9 µg/L | 156 µg/L | 132 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 31.9 µg/L | 45.9 µg/L | 63.1 µg/L | 132 |
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 Niles City buys is treated by Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, so the results below are Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's.
Nitrate: the highest of 187 samples was 0.71 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2013; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 0.47 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) | 187 | 0.71 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 of Mahoning Valley Sanitary District.
Solvents and fuels
The water Niles City buys is treated by Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, so the results below are Mahoning Valley Sanitary District'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 13 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 13 | 0 of 13 | 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 Mahoning Valley Sanitary District.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Niles City buys is treated by Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, so the results below are Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: atrazine in 3 of 12 samples, highest 0.21 µg/L (limit 3); barium in 3 of 4 samples, highest 13 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: alachlor in 12 samples, chromium in 4 samples, cadmium in 4 samples, mercury in 4 samples, selenium in 4 samples, thallium in 4 samples.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 12 | 3 of 12 | 0.21 µg/L | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 12 | 0 of 12 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 4 | 3 of 4 | 13 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 4 | 0 of 4 | 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 Mahoning Valley Sanitary District.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 2,744 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Niles City tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 396 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 Niles City buys its water from Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, 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 Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, which treats the water Niles City buys.
Measured fluoride: 1.01 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, which supplies Niles City, in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.87 to 1.12 mg/L across 4 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 Niles City, 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 Niles City buys is treated by Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, so the results below are Mahoning Valley Sanitary District'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 2 times in 220 raw-water samples, across 2 bloom seasons (2021 to 2023); the highest raw-water result was 0.335 µg/L on November 9, 2021. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (78 samples).
In all, 298 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 24, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 220 | 2 | 0.335 µg/L |
| Treated water | 78 | 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 Niles City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $298 a year, about $25 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $673 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $149 | $366 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $298 | $673 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $476 | $1,041 |
The survey lists it as “Niles”. 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 Niles 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 19,777 residents are inside the boundary, 90% of the 21,961 people Niles 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 — 5 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 OH7802403 (EPA ECHO).
Niles City's own pages: meanderwater.org, en.wikipedia.org
Notable facts: meanderwater.org, meanderwater.org, remarkableohio.org, thecityofniles.com
History: cityofnilesoh.gov, en.wikipedia.org, meanderwater.org, thecityofniles.com
Water quality: thecityofniles.com
Planned work: meanderwater.org
Water pressure: thecityofniles.com
Capital projects: thecityofniles.com
Rates: thecityofniles.com, thecityofniles.com
Sewers: thecityofniles.com, thecityofniles.com
Treatment: thecityofniles.com, meanderwater.org, thecityofniles.com
Supply stress: thecityofniles.com, meanderwater.org, meanderwater.org
