Water system
Western Water Company
EPA ID OH8300512 · Warren County · 39,508 people served
Western Water Company buys its water from Cincinnati Public Water System.
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer
- Water bodies
- Ohio River
- Raw intakes
- Cincinnati Miller Ohio River
Cincinnati Miller Ohio River S - Active wells
- 13
- Seller serves
- 750,200 people · Hamilton County
- Seller's EPA ID
- OH3102612
About this area's water
Did you know
- Not-for-profit and customer-owned: customers elect a five-member board of trustees, and 23 employees run a system spanning more than 400 square miles and roughly 1,000 miles of pipe.
- Its four-county territory covers about 24 townships and includes an ODOT I-71 rest area, an ODNR facility, and the Ohio Historical Society's Fort Ancient site.
- It keeps metered emergency interconnections with seven neighbors: Blanchester, Clermont County, Lake Lorelei, Loveland, Brown County Rural Water, Cincinnati and Wilmington.
- USDA has financed the company since its 1976 founding; the 2023 loan of $7.5 million is paying for PFAS treatment serving nearly 50,000 rural residents.
History5
- 1976Western Water Company founded as a non-profit, customer-owned rural system serving Brown, Clermont, Clinton and Warren counties, with USDA financing from the start.
- 2021Sampled under Ohio's PFAS Sampling Initiative; PFAS were detected in the drinking water but below the action level set by Ohio EPA.
- 2023USDA Rural Development obligated a $7.5 million Water and Waste Disposal loan to expand the Morrow treatment plant for PFAS removal.
- 2024USDA and company officials celebrated the loan in Morrow on April 25; the expansion was scheduled to begin in 2025 and finish in 2026.
- 2025System held an unconditional license to operate and reported no MCL violations in its 2025 water quality report.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Western Water treats its own well water at its Morrow plant, drawing the Little Miami River valley aquifer from one well field of eight wells (51%), and blends it with finished water bought from Greater Cincinnati Water Works (49%). Chlorinated and fluoridated.
Water pressure
The company's FAQ cites 60 psi only as a reference pressure in a worked example of leak losses, not as a stated system average.
What it costs
$7.00 per 1,000 gallons
$7.00 per 1,000 gallons above the monthly minimum; minimum bill $35 (5/8-in meter, includes 2,000 gal) to $3,500 (4-in); $60 membership fee. Rate page, 2026.
Water quality & impurities8
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 13.7-58.9 ppb; no violation. | 47.175 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range 0-15.6 ppb; well under the MCL. | 11.875 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Lead 90th percentile; 0 of 30 samples above the action level. | 1.30 ppb | 15 (action level) | 2025 |
| Copper 90th percentile; 1 of 30 samples exceeded the action level. | 0.346 ppm | 1.3 (action level) | 2025 |
| Nitrate Most recent sample; reduced monitoring allowed by the state. | 0.93 ppm | 10 | 2020 |
| Fluoride Added for dental health; range 0.85-1.26 ppm. | 1.02 ppm | 4.0 | 2025 |
| PFAS Plant expansion under way specifically to remove PFAS. | detected below action level ppt | Ohio EPA action level | 2021 |
| Hardness Company FAQ; aesthetic only, not a regulated contaminant. | 7-10 grains per gallon | n/a |
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.3 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
4 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 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 · Cincinnati Public Water System (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.1 ppb in 2026 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
Projects & plans1
Recent and current work
- Morrow water treatment plant expansion (USDA Rural Development loan) · $7.5 million · 2025-2026 · under construction
USDA loan obligated 2023 to add PFAS removal ahead of the 2024 federal PFAS rule; work set to begin 2025 and finish in 2026.
Supply stress
PFAS is the main pressure: the $7.5M plant expansion exists to meet the 2024 federal PFAS limits. Capacity is the other constraint - management says it is always hunting new well fields with enough volume. Half the supply is purchased finished water from Cincinnati, giving some source diversity.
Sewers
Sanitary
Water only - Western Water Company is not a sewer utility and its materials describe no wastewater service. Sewage in its rural four-county service area is handled by others (villages, county districts or on-site septic systems).
Storm
Stormwater in its rural service area falls to the counties, townships and villages.
Serves
Main water supplier in 5 ZIP codes
- 45162 · Harlan Township and Pleasant Plain97% of residents
- 45113 · Vernon Township and Clarksville75% of residents
- 45118 · Perry Township and Fayetteville68% of residents
- 45152 · Hamilton Township and Morrow43% of residents
- 45054 · Washington Township and Oregonia19% of residents
Also present in 12 more ZIP codes
- 45122 · Goshen Township and Goshen45% of residents
- 45158 · Wayne Township and Newtonsville28% of residents
- 45107 · Blanchester28% of residents
- 45177 · Wilmington20% of residents
- 45176 · Williamsburg16% of residents
- 45036 · Lebanon7% of residents
- 45154 · Mount Orab6% of residents
- 45140 · Miami Township and Loveland3% of residents
- 45068 · Wayne Township and Waynesville1% of residents
- 45039 · Hamilton Township and Maineville1% of residents
- 45335 · Jamestown0% of residents
- 45103 · Union Township and Batavia0% 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
Western Water Company buys its water from Cincinnati Public Water System.
2 systems on record buy water from Western Water Company: Clarksville Village, Fayetteville Village.
What the records show about Western Water Company
Who runs it
EPA's record says Western Water Company has 17,717 service connections and serves 39,508 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
Western Water Company buys water that Cincinnati Public Water System treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Cincinnati Public Water System: 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.
Western Water Company itself also registers: ion-exchange softening.
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 Western Water Company since 2015.
EPA logs 4 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 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 November 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at Western Water Company was 1.3 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 2 ppb, in the period ending December 2024.
EPA has 8 sampling periods on file for Western Water Company 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 Western Water Company sent EPA, 18,179 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 18,179 |
| All lines | 18,179 |
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 6 samples of the water entering the pipes of Western Water Company in 2023 to 2024 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 14.1 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 14.1 ng/L.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result was measured at Western Water WTP.
The system reported potential PFAS sources near its supply.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Western Water Company (latest sample March 2021). The highest result was PFOS at 12.9 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 Western Water Company as sampled, most recently August 2026.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | 14.1 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 Western Water Company's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 33.6 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 38.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 55.1 µg/L, from 80 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 10.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 10.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 15.5 µg/L, from 80 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 33.6 µg/L (2019) | 38.2 µg/L | 55.1 µg/L | 80 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 10.8 µg/L | 10.8 µg/L | 15.5 µg/L | 80 |
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 Western Water Company buys is treated by Cincinnati Public Water System, so the results below are Cincinnati Public Water System's.
Nitrate: the highest of 119 samples was 1.55 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2015; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.3 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 16 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 119 | 1.55 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 16 | 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.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 2 plants of Cincinnati Public Water System together, so a result over a limit may come from a plant that serves a different part of town.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water of Cincinnati Public Water System.
Solvents and fuels
The water Western Water Company buys is treated by Cincinnati Public Water System, so the results below are Cincinnati Public Water System'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 11 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 11 | 0 of 11 | 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 Cincinnati Public Water System.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water Western Water Company buys is treated by Cincinnati Public Water System, so the results below are Cincinnati Public Water System's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 16 of 16 samples, highest 54 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine in 11 samples, alachlor in 11 samples, chromium in 16 samples, cadmium in 16 samples, mercury in 16 samples, selenium in 16 samples, thallium in 16 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 | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 16 | 16 of 16 | 54 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 16 | 0 of 16 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
EPA's file lumps the entry-point samples of all 2 plants of Cincinnati Public Water System together, so a result over a limit may come from a plant that serves a different part of town.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water of Cincinnati Public Water System.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 1 of 3,951 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Western Water Company tested positive (0.03%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 500 did. E. coli was never found in the 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 Western Water Company adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Cincinnati Public Water System, which treats the water Western Water Company buys.
Western Water Company itself also registers a fluoridation step.
Measured fluoride: 0.81 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Western Water Company, in 2019 (above the 0.7 mg/L level now recommended and well under the 4 mg/L limit); samples ran from 0.79 to 0.98 mg/L across 16 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 6 UCMR 5 samples at Western Water Company, 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
The water Western Water Company buys is treated by Cincinnati Public Water System, so the results below are Cincinnati Public Water System'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 288 raw-water samples, across 1 bloom season (2019); the highest raw-water result was 0.46 µg/L on October 2, 2019. There has been no raw-water detection since 2024.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (285 samples).
In all, 573 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 25, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 288 | 2 | 0.46 µg/L |
| Treated water | 285 | 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 Western Water Company comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 33,913 residents are inside the boundary, 86% of the 39,508 people Western Water Company 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 — 17 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 OH8300512 (EPA ECHO).
Western Water Company's own pages: western-h2o.com, western-h2o.com