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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Ohio Water Quality: 115 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 115 cities in Ohio, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Ohio's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 1 city has a past health-based violation on record.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

19of 115 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Ohio →

Lead above action level

Action level

1of 115 cities

Cities whose 90th-percentile result is above 15 µg/L.

How lead is measured →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

0of 115 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 1 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

Ohio cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    Lake County West SubdistrictLAKE COUNTY WEST WATER SUBDISTRICT · OH4302411
    Report →
  2. 2
    Rural Lorain County ARURAL LORAIN CO. WATER A · OH4701803
    Report →
  3. 3
    ElyriaELYRIA WATER DEPARTMENT · OH4700411
    Report →
  4. 4
    LorainLORAIN CITY PWS · OH4700711
    Report →
  5. 5
    SpringfieldSPRINGFIELD CITY PWS · OH1204412
    Report →
  6. 6
    NewarkNEWARK CITY PWS · OH4502314
    Report →
  7. 7
    DelawareDELAWARE CITY PWS · OH2100311
    Report →
  8. 8
    Greene County -Northwest RegGREENE CO.-NORTHWEST REG WATER · OH2903512
    Report →
  9. 9
    Lake County East SubdistrictLAKE COUNTY EAST WATER SUBDISTRICT · OH4302911
    Report →
  10. 10
    GahannaGAHANNA CITY PWS · OH2501303
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 115 scored cities.

See all 115 in the table

115 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Lake County West Subdistrict
    LAKE COUNTY WEST WATER SUBDISTRICT · PWSID OH4302411 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  2. 2Rural Lorain County A
    RURAL LORAIN CO. WATER A · PWSID OH4701803 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  3. 3Elyria
    ELYRIA WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID OH4700411 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  4. 4Lorain
    LORAIN CITY PWS · PWSID OH4700711 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  5. 5Springfield
    SPRINGFIELD CITY PWS · PWSID OH1204412 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  6. 6Newark
    NEWARK CITY PWS · PWSID OH4502314 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFBA 9.5 ng/L detected, no federal or state limitDetected
  7. 7Delaware
    DELAWARE CITY PWS · PWSID OH2100311 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  8. 8Greene County -Northwest Reg
    GREENE CO.-NORTHWEST REG WATER · PWSID OH2903512 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  9. 9Lake County East Subdistrict
    LAKE COUNTY EAST WATER SUBDISTRICT · PWSID OH4302911 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  10. 10Gahanna
    GAHANNA CITY PWS · PWSID OH2501303 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 0.5 µg/LDetected
  11. 11Painesville
    PAINESVILLE CITY PWS · PWSID OH4301611 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  12. 12Bowling Green
    BOWLING GREEN CITY · PWSID OH8700311 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
Showing 12 of 115.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works. See how Ohio compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in Ohio

Counties

Ohio counties

52 counties with city reports
Show all 52 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 115 Ohio city reports, A–Z
Next step

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Plumbing inside a building can add lead and change what reaches your glass.

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Treat by concern

Only after a city report names a finding, match a treatment certified for it.

Treatment options →
Questions

Ohio water, frequently asked

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How does Ohio tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 115 cities in Ohio by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Lake County West Subdistrict's main water system: LAKE COUNTY WEST WATER SUBDISTRICT · PWSID OH4302411 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Ohio cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

19 cities of 115 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Girard (PFOS 20.1 ng/L), Youngstown (PFOS 19.3 ng/L), Loveland (PFOS 16 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 49.

Is there lead in Ohio tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 59 of 115 Ohio cities reported a value above zero, and 1 city was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

Have Ohio water systems had drinking-water violations?

1 city in Ohio has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

Does Ohio have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Ohio city on record; the hardest is Cleveland at 6.8 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error