Water System Report OH

Cincinnati Public Water System

EPA ID: OH3102612 ยท 750,200 people served ยท 59 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Cincinnati Public Water System (OH3102612): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. No violations appear in the federal EPA file for Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies 750,200 people.

Data: EPA SDWIS

D ยท 41
Avg Safety Score
750,200
People Served
59
ZIP Codes Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Surface Water
Water Source
0.0021 mg/L
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2026-06-30)
Zone 1
County Radon Potential ยท High
0
Contaminants Flagged
$247K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Cincinnati Public Water System Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary - average Home Safety grade of mapped ZIPs: D

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$72,932
Median Household Income
1,174,537
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
32%
Disadvantaged Population
47th
Poverty Percentile
40th
Energy Burden Percentile
73%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Cincinnati Public Water System have a median household income of $72,932 and about 1,174,537 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 73% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 32% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this service area are designated disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST, 2022 version). Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.

๐ŸŒŠ Where Does Your Water Come From?

Surface Water

Cincinnati Public Water System's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.

Moderate Risk
Source Contamination Risk
49th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
62th
Superfund Site Proximity

Superfund Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 62th percentile nationally for proximity to Superfund (NPL) sites.

Infrastructure Risk

68 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
12 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Moderate Wear
Decay Status
Installed 85% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

PFAS in ZIP Codes This System Serves

PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been reported in samples from water systems associated with the ZIP codes in this system's area. These results can come from other water systems serving the same ZIP codes; check the UCMR5 section for any results reported for this system. 189 detections recorded. 59 detections are above the level of a federal PFAS MCL (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS), with compliance required from 2029.

Health concern: Exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with some cancers and with immune and developmental effects; effects differ by compound. Many PFAS break down very slowly in the environment.
Recommended filter: An activated carbon filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 or a reverse osmosis system certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for the PFAS listed in its certification. Find the right filter โ†’

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in Ohio

City of Toledo
360,000 people
B 4 violations
D 1 violation
Columbus Public Water System
1,305,946 people
D 0 violations
B 1 violation

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

PFAS Treatment Water Filtration
PFAS Treatment $516
Water Filtration $5
Total Estimated Cost $521

Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

PFAS Exposure - Lifetime Cost $1,000

Per person (emerging research est.)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$165
10 years
$330
20 years
$660

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $521 (one-time) vs. $330 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

System Overview

Cincinnati Public Water System (EPA ID: OH3102612) is a community water system in Ohio that serves approximately 750,200 people from surface water sources.

This system provides water to 59 ZIP codes across 14 communities.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: D (41/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 46 of 59 service-area ZIP codes with all required score domains observed. It is not a grade for the water utility.

Model 4.0.0 uses SDWIS identity plus accepted ECHO SDWA lifecycle-based water compliance, the UCMR 5 PFAS MCL screen, EPA radon zone, and annual EPA AirData AQI across three equally weighted domains. Missing required evidence suppresses the score.

Violation History

No accepted violation records in the 2021-2026 window - The accepted EPA ECHO 2026Q2 snapshot contains zero violation records for this system whose record year falls from 2021 through 2026, inclusive. This is not a tap-water safety guarantee.

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
0.0021 mg/L No 2026-06-30

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

57 of 59 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 1. 2 of 59 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 2.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by OH or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

This system serves 59 ZIP codes:

45002 ยท 45013 ยท 45014 ยท 45030 ยท 45039 45040 ยท 45041 ยท 45051 ยท 45052 ยท 45065 45069 ยท 45140 ยท 45152 ยท 45202 ยท 45203 45204 ยท 45205 ยท 45206 ยท 45207 ยท 45208 45209 ยท 45211 ยท 45212 ยท 45213 ยท 45214 45215 ยท 45216 ยท 45217 ยท 45218 ยท 45219 45220 ยท 45223 ยท 45224 ยท 45225 ยท 45226 45227 ยท 45229 ยท 45230 ยท 45231 ยท 45232 45233 ยท 45236 ยท 45237 ยท 45238 ยท 45239 45240 ยท 45241 ยท 45242 ยท 45243 ยท 45244 45245 ยท 45246 ยท 45247 ยท 45248 ยท 45249 45251 ยท 45252 ยท 45255 ยท 45267

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Cincinnati Public Water System (OH3102612) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cincinnati Public Water System water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Cincinnati Public Water System in the inclusive 2021-2026 record-year window. This is a compliance-record finding, not a guarantee about water at a specific tap.

How many people does Cincinnati Public Water System serve?

Cincinnati Public Water System serves approximately 750,200 people across 59 ZIP codes in Ohio.

Where does Cincinnati Public Water System get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Sample Above an EPA MCL Value or State Standard

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). One or more PFAS measurements were above the level of the EPA MCL for that compound (April 2024 rule, which takes effect in 2029) or above an applicable state drinking-water standard; a monitoring result above that level is not by itself a violation.

Samples collected
174
Detections
6
Latest sample
11/6/2023
Highest analyte
PFOS: 6.1 ppt
Analyte Max detected EPA MCL (compliance required from 2029) Status
PFOS 6.1 ppt 4 ppt Above EPA MCL value (compliance required from 2029)
PFBA 5.2 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFBS 4.1 ppt No federal MCL โ€”

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) โ€” per-system federal sampling, 2023โ€“2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program โ†’

Understand PFAS health context and filtration โ†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from Cincinnati Public Water System safe to drink? ▼
Cincinnati Public Water System has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The D shown is a ZIP-area score, not a grade for this utility; see the violation table for what was violated.
Should I use a water filter? ▼
No EPA drinking-water violations since 2021 are on record for Cincinnati Public Water System; this page does not establish contaminant levels at your tap. That is a compliance record, not a guarantee about the water at your tap; a certified filter can target a specific contaminant you are concerned about.
How many people does Cincinnati Public Water System serve? ▼
Cincinnati Public Water System serves approximately 750,200 people with drinking water across 59 ZIP codes.
What is Cincinnati Public Water System's water source? ▼
Cincinnati Public Water System draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Cincinnati Public Water System's water? ▼
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result on record is 0.0021 mg/L (sample period ending 2026-06-30). This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Cincinnati Public Water System? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Cincinnati Public Water System have a median household income of $72,932 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 32% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this area are designated disadvantaged (average across mapped ZIP codes), which may indicate greater vulnerability to environmental health risks.
Where does Cincinnati Public Water System get its water? ▼
Cincinnati Public Water System's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap. Based on the available data, the modeled source-contamination category is moderate; test local water to assess actual exposure.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Cincinnati Public Water System, OH: Serves 750K People. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/oh3102612/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-oh3102612,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Cincinnati Public Water System, OH: Serves 750K People}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/oh3102612/}
}

What You Can Do

1

Test your water

Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter โ†’

2

Check your specific ZIP code

Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report โ†’

3

Contact your utility

Cincinnati Public Water System (EPA ID: OH3102612) - request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.

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