Public water system · OH0500212

Active

Athens Pws

At a glance

Athens Pws (PWSID OH0500212) is an active community water system in Athens County, Ohio. It reports serving 32,725 people through 5,379 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2020.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

32,725

Service connections

5,379

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDOH0500212

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served32,725

Service connections5,379

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typePrivate

Primacy agencyOH state drinking water program

City served—

StateOhio

ZIP—

CountyAthens County

How does Athens Pws compare with other water systems in Athens County?

By EPA's size categories, Athens Pws is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Athens County has 13 active public water systems, and Athens Pws is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 5.6 times the county average of 5,806 people per system, and accounts for 43% of the 75,476 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Ohio, the 3,854 active systems average 2,767 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Athens Pws is about 4.9 times that figure.

What does “community water system” mean?

A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Ohio has 1,028 active community water systems, 27% of the state's 3,854 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 3,446 Ohio systems (89%) list groundwater as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates Athens Pws?

EPA lists Athens Pws as privately owned. The OH state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 8 of the 13 active systems in Athens County (62%) are also privately owned.

Does Athens Pws have drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2020. The violations listed here began between July 1996 and January 2020. By type: 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 3 contaminant level above the legal limit and 2 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (4 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.

Began	Violation	Contaminant or rule	Health-based	Status
2020-01-24	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Unaddressed
2009-01-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	No	Resolved
2008-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2008-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved
2002-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
2001-07-01	Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72	Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000	No	Resolved
1996-07-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	No	Resolved
1996-07-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Resolved

All 8 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.

Athens Pws: frequently asked questions

Who runs Athens Pws?

Athens Pws (PWSID OH0500212) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the OH state drinking water program.

How many people does Athens Pws serve?

Athens Pws reports serving 32,725 people through 5,379 service connections in Athens County, Ohio.

Where does Athens Pws get its water?

EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.

Does Athens Pws have any drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2020. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.

Is Athens Pws' water safe to drink?

AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2020. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the OH state drinking water program.

Where can I find Athens Pws' water quality report?

As a community water system, Athens Pws must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.

Other water systems in Athens County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Le-Ax Regional Water District Pws	Athens	19,311	Community	Groundwater
Nelsonville Pws	Athens	6,656	Community	Groundwater
Sunday Creek Valley Water Pws	Athens	5,451	Community	Purchased groundwater
Athens Co., the Plains S.D. 1 Pws	Athens	3,276	Community	Purchased groundwater
Burr Oak Regional Water District	Athens	1,994	Community	Groundwater
Glouster Public Water System	Athens	1,659	Community	Purchased groundwater

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About this data

Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.

Cite as: AquaCensus, “Athens Pws, PWSID OH0500212, Ohio”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/ohio/athens-pws-oh0500212 (data as of October 1, 2026).