EPA system OH5002303 · Ohio

Youngstown City PWS: 2 PFAS found; PFOS up to 19.3 ppt in an incomplete monitoring set

System ID OH5002303; community water system; Ohio; source: purchased surface water; serves 130,530 people via 52,603 connections; status: active

In focus130,530people served, EPA registry

Public records. Clearer context.

Youngstown City PWS is a local-government-owned community water system in Ohio serving about 130,530 people, matched to 16 ZIP codes.

PFAS treatment declared to EPA: None declared (4 of 4 sampling events) · PFAS found before UCMR 5: Yes, at 4 of 4 sampling events

PFAS and lithium: what EPA's national survey found

EPA tested this water for 30 substances and found 2. PFOS was found, but too few samples exist to compare it with EPA's limit the way EPA does.

Between June 2023 and April 2024, EPA's UCMR 5 program tested 95 samples from 1 sampling location for 30 contaminants (29 PFAS plus lithium). 2 were detected above the reporting level in at least one sample. PFOS reached 19.3 ppt in a single sample, but no sampling location completed the 4-sample set EPA averages against the 4.0 ppt limit, so no comparison is made here.

Sampling-point average: mean of a location's two (ground water) or four (surface water) UCMR 5 results with non-detects counted as zero, EPA's method for comparing UCMR 5 data to the PFAS MCLs. EPA rounds to the reference value's significant digits before deciding whether an average is "greater than" an MCL (PFOA/PFOS averages count as above 4.0 ng/L only from 4.05 ng/L; lithium results count as above the 10 ppb reference only from 15 ppb). This site does not apply that rounding: "at or above" here means the measured value is numerically at or above the reference.

Utility-reported context (UCMR 5 questionnaire, aggregated across sampling events): PFAS previously found at this system: yes at 4 of 4 sampling events; potential PFAS sources nearby: not known at 3 of 4 sampling events, no at 1 of 4 sampling events; PFAS treatment in place: no PFAS treatment at 4 of 4 sampling events.

Lead and copper at customer taps

In the latest completed monitoring period, ending Jun 30, 2026, 9 in 10 sampled homes had lead at or below 0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that triggers utility action. None of the 22 periods on record reached it.

In the most recent completed lead monitoring period, ending Jun 30, 2026, the 90th-percentile lead result at customer taps was 0 ppb, below the action level of 15 ppb (22 monitoring periods on record, none at the action level). 1 further record is excluded here as censored or implausible in EPA's database. The 90th percentile is the value that 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below. Values are in parts per billion (ppb).

Drinking water violations since Sep 3, 2016

EPA lists 2 violations since Sep 3, 2016. None is health-based. All concern missed monitoring, reporting or public notices, not the water itself.

EPA's SDWIS database lists 2 violations recorded since Sep 3, 2016: 1 for monitoring or reporting, 1 other (public notification or consumer confidence report requirements), none health-based.

Sanitary surveys and site visits

Most recent state inspection: Jan 28, 2026 (site visit); 3 visits since Sep 3, 2021.

What you can do about these results

ZIP codes served

Sources

Data vintage: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, samples collected 2023-01-03 – 2026-06-17, final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026); EPA SDWIS via ECHO, 2026Q2 extract (file dated Jul 9, 2026); EPA service-area boundaries v3.0; Census 2020 ZCTAs. Page generated 2026-09-03.

• EPA ECHO detailed facility report
• EPA UCMR 5 Data Finder
• EPA service-area boundary: modeled, 81.1 sq mi