Columbus Public Water System

Water Quality Snapshot: Columbus Public Water System

Columbus Public Water System is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,305,946 residents in Columbus, Ohio (Franklin County) through 284,610 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 33 total violations for this system , of which 32 (97%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. The most recent violation on record dates to 2016.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Nitrate, recorded in 20 violations (MCL, health-based). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 6 PFAS compounds were detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 18.2 ppt (parts per trillion). PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

Across Ohio, EPA tracks 4,181 public water systems serving 11,085,226 people, with 288,388 cumulative violations and 52,412 health-based violations on record. About 90% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 69 violations. Statewide, 204 of 346 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (59%).

Columbus Public Water System's 33 violations sit below the Ohio average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.