Water system
Wooster City
EPA ID OH8504512 · Wayne County · 26,618 people served · owned by a local government
Wooster City treats its own water from Killbuck Creek Buried Valley Aquifer (own wells).
The system's record
- Aquifer
- Killbuck Creek Buried Valley Aquifer
- Active wells
- 7
- Serves
- 26,618 people · Wayne County
- EPA ID
- OH8504512
About this area's water
Did you know
- Wooster's water comes from a buried glacial valley that USGS measured at about 3,000 feet wide and 100 feet deep, hidden under the modern creek bed and surrounding farmland.
- USGS's 1994 model of the valley found that of the water pumped from the aquifer, only about 8% is induced infiltration from Killbuck Creek - 63% arrives from the uplands and 23% from areal recharge in the valley. Total…
- For four decades the city has been pumping and treating contaminated ground water from a 1983 industrial spill - roughly 253 million gallons a year that never reaches a tap - through a chain of three interceptor wells…
- When PFAS turned up in two South Wellfield wells in 2023-24, Wooster simply switched them off in February 2024 rather than treat around them - and has reported non-detect finished water for all six regulated PFAS ever…
- Better lab equipment, not worse water, is what found the PFAS: minimum detection levels dropped from 10 parts per trillion in the 2020 sampling to 2 parts per trillion by 2023.
History6
- 1983Ohio EPA discovers volatile organic compounds in the raw water supply; the source is determined to be surface spillage migrating from a nearby industrial plant upgradient of the production well.
- 1985First interceptor well installed to capture contaminated ground water before it reaches the production wells.
- 1989Second interceptor well added.
- 1994USGS publishes Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4131, a ground-water flow model of the Killbuck Creek valley near Wooster.
- 1998The Wooster Water Production Facility at 1020 Old Columbus Road is commissioned.
- 2006Third interceptor well installed, continuing the pump-and-treat containment of the 1983 plume.
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
The Wooster Water Production Facility at 1020 Old Columbus Road was commissioned in 1998 and is an Ohio EPA Class III operation. Water is pumped from seven wells in two well fields (North and South) drawing on the sand-and-gravel buried valley aquifer under the confluence of the Upper Killbuck…
Source: woosteroh.comwoosteroh.com
Water pressure
No pressures published. The city states it maintains and operates 8 elevated and ground storage tanks of varying sizes at strategic locations in the distribution system; no psi…
Source: woosteroh.com
What it costs
The City of Wooster's rates page advertises 'WATER RATES for CITY WEB PAGE-EFFECTIVE 2-1-2026' and a matching sewer schedule, but both links…
Source: woosteroh.comweb.archive.org
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range of detections 29.8-57.4 ppb. No violation. | 42.58 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range 0-7.1 ppb. | 3.65 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Total chlorine Range 0.96-1.12 ppm. | 1.08 ppm | 4 (MRDL) | 2025 |
| Barium Well below the MCL. | 0.038 ppm | 2 | 2025 |
| Xylene Range 0.00069-0.0007 ppm. The only VOC still showing in the detected-contaminants table. | 0.0007 ppm | 10 | 2021 |
| Lead (90th percentile) 0 of 30 samples over the action level. The city reports no lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown-material… | 1.89 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025 |
| Copper (90th percentile) 0 of 30 samples over the action level. | 0.0317 ppm | 1.3 (action… | 2025 |
| PFAS (six regulated compounds) All four 2025 quarterly finished-water samples were non-detect for PFOA, PFOS, HFPO-DA, PFBS, PFHxS and PFNA - achieved… | non-detect ppt | varies by… | 2025 |
| Hardness Yearly average from the plant's own operational data; the plant softens. | 118.28 mg/L | no standard… | 2025 |
| Manganese Yearly average, below the aesthetic secondary standard. Iron averaged 0.04 mg/L against a 0.3 mg/L secondary standard. | 0.025 mg/L | 0.05 (secondary) | 2025 |
Source: woosteroh.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 2.1 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 required testing that was missed or reported late.
Projects & plans7
Recent and current work
- Interceptor well system (three wells) and air stripping for the 1983 VOC plume · 1985-2006 · completed
Wells installed 1985, 1989 and 2006; still running, treating about 253 million gallons a year of contaminated source water that is not used for drinking water. - Wells S-1 and S-2 removed from service for PFAS · 2024 · completed
Taken offline in February 2024 after PFAS were detected in both wells and in finished water; finished water has been PFAS non-detect since. - Combined sewer separation program (15 projects) · $9.3 million · completed
The city reports 15 completed separation projects totaling $9,276,235.13 to improve storm and sewage conveyance and reduce combined sewer areas. Individual… - Test wells and drilling of production well S-4 · 2025 · under construction
Test wells to site new production wells S-4 and S-5 in the south end of the South Wellfield are complete; drilling of S-4 is finished. No cost published.
Source: woosteroh.comwoosteroh.comwoosteroh.com
Planned or needed
- Production well S-4 in service · 2026 · under construction
Expected in service by late 2026 with a design capacity of 3.25 MGD, restoring supply lost when S-1 and S-2 were idled. No cost published. - Production well S-5 · planned
Second replacement well in the south end of the South Wellfield; test drilling complete, no schedule or cost published. - Federal PFAS MCL compliance · 2027 · planned
The April 2024 USEPA rule requires quarterly finished-water PFAS sampling and compliance with MCLs for six PFAS by 2027; the city notes the compliance date is…
Source: woosteroh.com
Supply stress
Wooster's ground water has high susceptibility to contamination, as the city itself states, evidenced by contamination in the South Wellfield. The wellhead protection area contains several industrial activities, underground storage tanks and abandoned landfills flagged as high-priority potential sources. VOCs have been detected in well…
Sewers
Sanitary
The city operates its own sanitary collection system and Water Resource Recovery function under the Utilities Division. Parts of Wooster are served by combined sewers and parts by separate sanitary sewers; the city is permitted to operate two combined sewer overflow structures during wet weather, and has completed 15 sewer separation…
Storm
The city runs a separate storm water utility with its own rate schedule (storm sewer rates effective 3-1-2026, billed monthly alongside water, sewer and trash) and a storm water maintenance function under Public Properties Maintenance.
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
- 44691 · Wooster60% 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
Wooster 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 Wooster City.
What the records show about Wooster City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes Wooster City as owned by a local government. It has 10,020 service connections and serves 26,618 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 2025. Its office telephone on EPA's record is 330-263-5284.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Wooster City: aeration, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, lime softening, 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 Wooster City since 2015.
EPA logs 2 violations of any kind since 2020: 2 for required testing that was missed or reported late.
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 Wooster City was 2.1 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
EPA has 4 sampling periods on file for Wooster 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 Wooster City sent EPA, 9,988 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 0 |
| Not lead | 9,988 |
| All lines | 9,988 |
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 3 samples of the water entering the pipes of Wooster City in 2023 to 2024 and measured 29 PFAS.
The highest PFOA or PFOS result, 4.8 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 PFBS 14.2 ng/L, PFPeA 6.3 ng/L, and PFBA 6 ng/L.
The system reported potential PFAS sources near its supply.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Wooster City (latest sample July 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 Wooster City as sampled, most recently July 2026.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 4.8 ng/L | 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 Wooster City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 43.5 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 46.9 µg/L and the highest single sample was 83.7 µg/L, from 113 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 6.5 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 7 µg/L and the highest single sample was 11.6 µg/L, from 115 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 43.5 µg/L (2019) | 46.9 µg/L | 83.7 µg/L | 113 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 6.5 µg/L | 7 µg/L | 11.6 µg/L | 115 |
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 was not detected in 8 samples through 2019 (limit 10 mg/L as nitrogen; above 10 is unsafe for infants).
Arsenic: the highest of 3 samples was 3.1 µg/L (limit 10); detections averaged 3.1; none over the limit.
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 8 | not detected | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 3 | 3.1 µg/L | 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. tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was detected in 6 of 111 samples, highest 0.8 µg/L (limit 5). Benzene, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride were not detected in 111 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 111 | 0 of 111 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 111 | 0 of 111 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 111 | 0 of 111 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 111 | 0 of 111 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 111 | 6 of 111 | 0.8 µg/L | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 111 | 0 of 111 | 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 37 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 | 37 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, 1 of 3,148 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at Wooster City tested positive (0.03%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 404 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 Wooster City has fluoride from natural sources, but at a level below what is recommended for preventing tooth decay, and does not adjust it. The level it reports is 0.1 mg/L.
EPA's treatment table lists no fluoridation step at Wooster City.
Measured fluoride: 0.14 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (too little to protect teeth); samples ran at 0.14 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 Wooster 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.
Water and sewer bills
Ohio EPA's 2023 rate survey puts the water bill at Wooster City for a household using 5,000 gallons a month at $495 a year, about $41 a month.
The sewer bill in the same survey is $340 a year at 5,000 gallons a month.
| Use | Water, per year | Sewer, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 gallons a month | $285 | $182 |
| 5,000 gallons a month | $495 | $340 |
| 8,000 gallons a month | $748 | $529 |
The survey lists it as “Wooster”. 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 Wooster City comes from the utility's own map.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 27,009 residents are inside the boundary, 101% of the 26,618 people Wooster 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.
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 OH8504512 (EPA ECHO).
Wooster City's own pages: usgs.gov, woosteroh.com
Notable facts: doi.org, woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com
History: woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com, doi.org
Water quality: woosteroh.com
Planned work: woosteroh.com
Water pressure: woosteroh.com
Capital projects: woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com
Rates: woosteroh.com, web.archive.org
Sewers: woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com
Treatment: woosteroh.com, woosteroh.com
Supply stress: woosteroh.com, doi.org, pubs.usgs.gov
