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Not health advice. Contact your local water utility for concerns.
Data from EPA Water Quality Reports. For official information, contact your water utility or health department.
Side-by-side EPA records for the two public water systems · EPA SDWIS/ECHO 2026Q2 · UCMR5 (2023–2026, July 2026 release) · SYR4 six-year review 2012–2019 · methodology
Cleveland has the better EPA record — grade A (99/100) vs grade C (74/100).
COLUMBUS PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM · serves 1,305,946
CLEVELAND PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM · serves 1,308,955
| Metric | Columbus | Cleveland |
|---|---|---|
| Grade / score | C · 74/100 | A · 99/100 |
| Health-based EPA violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 0 |
| Health-based violations unresolved | 0 | 0 |
| Monitoring / reporting violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 1 |
| Lead 90th percentile (action level 15 ppb) | 1.2 ppb (2021–2023) | 0 ppb (2022–2024) |
| PFAS detected (UCMR5 2023–2026) | PFBA, PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFPeA — PFOA/PFOS ≥ 4 ppt | None detected |
| Primary water source | Surface water | Surface water |
| Population served | 1,305,946 | 1,308,955 |
| EPA PWSID | OH2504412 | OH1801212 |
Green = the better value where the two systems differ. Lead and PFAS figures describe water leaving the plant, not any individual tap.
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Cleveland — it scores 99/100 (grade A) against 74/100 (grade C) on EPA records. Neither system has a health-based EPA violation in the last five years
Columbus grades C (74/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 1.2 ppb, PFAS detected (PFBA, PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFPeA).
Cleveland grades A (99/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 0 ppb, no PFAS detected.