Is Oberlin Water Department Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Lorain

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2024-03-01 → 2024-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2024-03-01 → 2024-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2024-03-01 → 2024-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2024-03-01 → 2024-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2011-04-01 → 2011-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2011-04-01 → 2011-06-30

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfba	0.0082 µg/L	4/4	2023
Pfhxa	0.0050 µg/L	4/4	2023
Pfpea	0.0053 µg/L	4/4	2023
PFBS	0.0030 µg/L	1/4	2023

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	1032.5 µg/L 10% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1070 µg/L	76/192	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	24.56 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 31.12 µg/L	73/73	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	63.88 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 96.95 µg/L	73/73	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	13.228 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 46.4 µg/L	73/73	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	32.765 µg/L 55% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 37.6 µg/L	72/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	7.19 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.4 µg/L	72/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	4.805 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8.34 µg/L	71/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	19.95 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 23.7 µg/L	71/71	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	99.575 µg/L 124% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 144.5 µg/L	70/70	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	2.128 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.86 µg/L	67/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	121 µg/L 9.3% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 240 µg/L	59/81	SYR4	2014–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	948 µg/L 9.5% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1070 µg/L	33/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	5.2795 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6 µg/L	22/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Atrazine	0.5800 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 3 µg/L worst single sample: 0.6700 µg/L	21/23	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	20/20	LCR	2023
Simazine	0.2410 µg/L 6% of the EPA limit 4 µg/L worst single sample: 0.2500 µg/L	19/23	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	88.8 µg/L 4.4% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 120 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	994.6 µg/L 25% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1030 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	16.9 µg/L 113% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 19 µg/L	7/81	SYR4	2014–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	1.149 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.16 µg/L	3/72	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	8.4 µg/L 84% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Selenium	5 µg/L 10% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L	1/8	SYR4	2012–2019

57 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAsbestosBenzeneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbon TetrachlorideChromiumDichloromethaneEthylbenzeneHfpo-DaLassoMercuryNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitritePfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: ALBRECHT, WILLIAM E
Phone: 440-775-7290
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Oberlin Water Department

Is Oberlin Water Department tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 26 contaminants in Oberlin Water Department's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Oberlin Water Department's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Oberlin Water Department serve?

Oberlin Water Department reports serving 8,600 people in Ohio, per its EPA record.

Has Oberlin Water Department had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 32 violations on file for Oberlin Water Department, of which 23 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 1 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.