Water system
Franklin Public Water System
EPA ID OH8300412 · Warren County · 11,690 people served
Franklin Public Water System treats its own water from Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer (own wells).
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer
- Active wells
- 4
- Serves
- 11,690 people · Warren County
- EPA ID
- OH8300412
About this area's water
Did you know
- Franklin opened what was considered the world's first garbage-recycling plant in 1971 - a Black Clawson Company facility that pulled metals out of solid waste and spun recovered paper fiber into roofing material.
- Franklin is literally the boundary marker on a federal aquifer designation: EPA's 1988 Sole Source Aquifer determination for the Buried Valley Aquifer System-South runs to a hydrodynamic boundary 'just south of the City…
- Franklin's tap water runs 22 grains per gallon hard - the city publishes the number specifically so residents can set their water softeners.
- The city keeps its emergency lifeline to Springboro alive by flushing about 8,000 gallons through it in each direction every six months, so the connection works the day it is needed.
- Franklin's water bill is priced in 333-cubic-foot units - about 2,491 gallons - and is purely volumetric with no minimum charge at all: use 500 gallons in a month and you pay for 500 gallons.
History6
- 1796Franklin founded by General William C. Schenck on the Great Miami River; incorporated 1814 and became a city in 1951.
- 1913The town was devastated by the Great Flood of March 1913 when the Great Miami River overflowed its banks.
- 1971Franklin opened what was considered the world's first garbage-recycling plant, designed and built by the Black Clawson Company; it recovered metals from solid waste and turned recovered paper fiber…
- 1988EPA Region V determined (final determination dated June 17, 1988) that the Buried Valley Aquifer System-South is the sole or principal drinking water source for about 650,000 residents of Butler…
- 2003Ohio conducted the source water assessment behind Franklin's Source Water Assessment Protection Plan, rating the wellfield aquifer as highly susceptible to contamination.
- 2023Franklin sampled under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), detecting nine PFAS compounds plus lithium.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Franklin draws raw groundwater from five high-production wells in the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer (well screens 45-80 feet deep, water table less than 20 feet down) and treats it at a city-owned 5 MGD plant with iron and manganese filtration, plus fluoridation and chlorination. Finished water…
Source: franklinohio.orgcms2.revize.com
Water pressure
Not published. No service pressure or pressure-zone figures appear in the city's water pages or CCR; the only related infrastructure published is four water towers and 67+ miles…
Source: franklinohio.orgcms2.revize.com
What it costs
$7.01 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $28 a month for water.
City of Franklin rate and fee schedule (Appendix A, March 2026) as posted by the Utility Billing Division: water $17.47 per 333 cubic feet, sewer $22.51 per 333 cubic feet…
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trichloroethylene Solvent from metal degreasing and other industry, detected in a shallow, highly susceptible sand-and-gravel aquifer.… | 0.08 ppb | 5.0 | 2025 |
| Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) UCMR 5 sampling; range 0.0022-0.0041 ppb, average 0.0031 ppb. The maximum detection sits essentially at the 4.0 ppt MCL… | 0.0041 ppb | 0.004 ppb (4.0… | 2023 |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) UCMR 5; range 0.0014-0.0017 ppb, average 0.00155 ppb. Seven other PFAS were also detected at trace levels: PFHxA, PFBS… | 0.0017 ppb | 0.004 ppb (4.0… | 2023 |
| Lithium Range ND-5.46 ppb, average 2.73 ppb; unregulated contaminant monitored to inform possible future regulation. | 5.46 ppb | no federal MCL… | 2023 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 12.5-39.7 ppb. | 39.7 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range ND-4.3 ppb - very low, as expected for filtered groundwater with little organic carbon. | 4.3 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) Runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks and sewage; a standing concern for a shallow aquifer under… | 1.74 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.81-1.04 ppm; added for dental health. | 0.89 ppm | 4.0 | 2025 |
| Barium Erosion of natural deposits. | 0.130 ppm | 2.0 | 2025 |
| Arsenic Erosion of natural deposits. | 0.5 ppb | 10 | 2025 |
Source: cms2.revize.comfranklinohio.org
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.1 ppb in 2024 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
2 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Projects & plans4
Recent and current work
- 12-inch watermain connection project · $959,752 · 2025-2026 · under construction
Replaces about 5,690 linear feet of 4- to 12-inch water main plus 15 fire hydrants and 83 public water service lines on Main Street, Anderson Street, Riley… - City-wide water meter replacement · 2026 · under construction
End-of-life residential and commercial meters replaced by contractor VEPO Metering, scheduled March-July 2026. No cost to residents but replacement is… - 2026 hydrant flushing campaign · 2026 · planned
Routine distribution-system maintenance announced by the city on August 12, 2026. No cost published.
Source: franklinohio.orgfranklinohio.orgfranklinohio.org
Planned or needed
- Additional PFAS compliance monitoring under the 2024 federal PFAS rule · 2026-2027 · planned
Franklin partially satisfied the rule through UCMR 5 and states it will collect additional samples in 2026 to fully meet the April 26, 2027 monitoring…
Source: cms2.revize.com
Supply stress
Franklin's supply is abundant but exposed. Its wells tap the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, the glacial sand-and-gravel system EPA designated a Sole Source Aquifer in June 1988 for roughly 650,000 people across five southwestern Ohio counties - Franklin sits right at the northern edge of the designated area, on a hydrodynamic…
Sewers
Sanitary
Franklin does not treat its own wastewater. Flow goes to a Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant owned and operated by Veolia that also serves Carlisle, Germantown, Franklin Township, Warren County and Montgomery County. The city's Sewer Division maintains over fifty miles of sanitary sewer, over five miles of sanitary force main, and four…
Storm
Franklin runs a self-supporting stormwater utility charged on relative impervious area: $7.00 residential, $7.00 per 2,611 square feet of impervious surface for nonresidential. The system covers 75 miles of storm pipes plus catch basins, city-owned ditch…
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
- 45005 · Franklin Township and Franklin50% 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
Franklin Public Water System does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
1 system on record buys water from Franklin Public Water System: Carlisle City.
What the records show about Franklin Public Water System
Who runs it
EPA's record says Franklin Public Water System has 4,835 service connections and serves 11,690 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 2018. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 937-746-5001.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Franklin Public Water System: corrosion control, chlorine disinfection, fluoridation, 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 Franklin Public Water System since 2015.
EPA logs 2 violations of any kind since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 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 2024, the 90th-percentile lead result at Franklin Public Water System was 2.1 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 3.3 ppb, in the period ending December 2018.
EPA has 3 sampling periods on file for Franklin 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 Franklin Public Water System sent EPA, 4,851 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 15 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 910 |
| Unknown material | 528 |
| Not lead | 3,398 |
| All lines | 4,851 |
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 2 samples of the water entering the pipes of Franklin Public Water System in 2023 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 4.1 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 result was PFOS 4.1 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Franklin Public Water System (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 Franklin Public Water System as sampled, most recently May 2026.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | 4.1 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 Franklin Public Water System's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 33.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 40.1 µg/L and the highest single sample was 57.5 µg/L, from 37 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 6.4 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 8.7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 10.4 µg/L, from 37 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 33.1 µg/L (2019) | 40.1 µg/L | 57.5 µg/L | 37 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 6.4 µg/L | 8.7 µg/L | 10.4 µg/L | 37 |
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 1.54 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2016; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.1 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 | 1.54 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 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 3 of 3 samples, highest 184 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 | 184 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 1,145 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Franklin Public Water System tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 142 did. E. coli was never found in the 1,145 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 Franklin Public Water System adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Franklin Public Water System.
Measured fluoride: 1 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 1 to 1.02 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 Franklin Public Water System, 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 Franklin Public Water System for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $371 a year, about $31 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $505 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $185 | $252 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $371 | $505 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $593 | $808 |
The survey lists it as “Franklin”. 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 Franklin Public Water System 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 15,763 residents are inside the boundary, 135% of the 11,690 people Franklin 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 — 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 OH8300412 (EPA ECHO).
Franklin Public Water System's own pages: en.wikipedia.org, dam.assets.ohio.gov
Notable facts: en.wikipedia.org, dam.assets.ohio.gov, franklinohio.org, cms2.revize.com
History: en.wikipedia.org, dam.assets.ohio.gov, cms2.revize.com, franklinohio.org
Water quality: cms2.revize.com, franklinohio.org
Planned work: cms2.revize.com
Water pressure: franklinohio.org, cms2.revize.com
Capital projects: franklinohio.org, franklinohio.org, franklinohio.org
Rates: franklinohio.org, dam.assets.ohio.gov
Sewers: franklinohio.org, franklinohio.org, franklinohio.org, dam.assets.ohio.gov
Treatment: franklinohio.org, cms2.revize.com
Supply stress: dam.assets.ohio.gov, cms2.revize.com, franklinohio.org
