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1,694 Ohio water systems have inventoried 3,654,413 service lines for EPA. 265,123 (7.3%) are confirmed lead and 878,816 (24%) are still of unknown material. Below: every large or city-linked Ohio utility ranked by lead lines.
Ohio water systems reported 265,123 lead service lines and 56,390 galvanized lines requiring replacement as of Q2 2026 — 7.3% of the 3,654,413 lines inventoried and 12% of the national lead total, ranking #2 of 51. CLEVELAND PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM reports the most in the state (144,193).
CLEVELAND PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM (144,193), CINCINNATI PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM (34,673), COLUMBUS PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM (25,155) lead the list; 168 Ohio systems report at least one lead line in total.
Find your utility in the table below, then check its published service line inventory (most utilities post an address-lookup map) or call the number on your water bill. Utilities must notify customers whose line is lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown. You can also test the pipe entering your home: lead is soft, dull gray, non-magnetic and turns shiny when scratched.
Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, systems must replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines within 10 years starting in 2027; systems with very high counts can receive longer deadlines. Ask your utility for its replacement plan and whether it covers the homeowner-owned portion.
Use a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead for drinking and cooking, flush the tap after water has sat for hours, never use hot tap water for drinking or infant formula, and confirm your actual level with a certified lab test.
Source: EPA SDWIS Service Line Inventory, Q2 2026 snapshot (updated 2026-08-18). Counts are service lines, not people.
1,658 of the 1,694 Ohio systems in EPA's Q2 2026 report have filed line counts. The 265,123 confirmed lead lines and 56,390 galvanized lines requiring replacement come from 168 systems — 10% of those reporting — so roughly one Ohio system in 10 reports at least one lead line. 878,816 lines (24%) are still of unknown material, close to the national share of 22%.
The unknown category is not a footnote. Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), every community water system had to submit an initial service line inventory by October 16, 2024, and lines whose material could not be documented were reported as unknown. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), finalized in October 2024, require systems to keep identifying those lines, to notify customers served by a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown line, and to replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines — generally within 10 years of the rule's November 1, 2027 compliance date. The LCRI also lowers the lead action level from 15 to 10 ppb. For Ohio, that makes the 878,816 unknown lines (24%) the pool from which future confirmed-lead counts will be drawn.
Among the 5 Ohio utilities linked to a city report on this site, 5 report at least one lead or galvanized-requiring-replacement line. The largest — CLEVELAND PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM (1,308,955 served), COLUMBUS PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM (1,305,946 served), and CINCINNATI PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM (750,200 served) — report 144,193 lead + 528 GRR, 25,155 lead + 8,093 GRR, and 34,673 lead + 44 GRR respectively.
To check your own line, start with your utility: most Ohio systems publish their inventory as an address-lookup map or table, and the annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) names the system and its lead results. If your address shows lead, galvanized or unknown, the utility is required to have notified you; if you cannot find it, ask for the service line material on record. You can also inspect the pipe where it enters the house — lead is dull gray, soft enough to scratch shiny with a coin, and does not attract a magnet.
EPA's rule text and timelines are on its Lead and Copper Rule Improvements page. While your line is unverified, our best water filters for lead guide covers NSF/ANSI 53-certified options, and the lead in drinking water guide explains testing and health thresholds.
EPA SDWIS Service Line Inventory, Q2 2026 snapshot (updated 2026-08-18); regulatory dates from EPA's LCRR/LCRI pages.
Community systems serving 50,000+ people plus systems linked to a city report on this site (29 shown). State totals above include every reporting system.
| # | Water system | Status | Lead | GRR | Unknown | Total lines | City report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLEVELAND PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH1801212 · 1,308,955 served | Lead service lines present | 144,193 | 528 | 56,954 | 434,395 | Cleveland → |
| 2 | CINCINNATI PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH3102612 · 750,200 served | Lead service lines present | 34,673 | 44 | 45 | 238,335 | Cincinnati → |
| 3 | COLUMBUS PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH2504412 · 1,305,946 served | Lead service lines present | 25,155 | 8,093 | 65,266 | 288,462 | Columbus → |
| 4 | DAYTON PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH5703512 · 141,407 served | Lead service lines present | 9,393 | 527 | 4 | 64,726 | |
| 5 | HAMILTON PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH0904012 · 62,447 served | Lead service lines present | 4,156 | 11 | 7,230 | 23,072 | |
| 6 | MIDDLETOWN CITY PWS OH0901712 · 51,229 served | Lead service lines present | 4,144 | 258 | 0 | 20,752 | |
| 7 | LAKEWOOD CITY PWS OH1801003 · 50,942 served | Lead service lines present | 3,645 | 392 | 149 | 14,138 | |
| 8 | LIMA CITY OH0200811 · 65,619 served | Lead service lines present | 2,713 | 19 | 23,367 | 26,365 | |
| 9 | TOLEDO CITY OF OH4801411 · 360,000 served | Lead service lines present | 1,944 | 6,468 | 38,053 | 114,828 | Toledo → |
| 10 | AKRON CITY PWS OH7700011 · 280,000 served | Lead service lines present | 1,683 | 7,389 | 5,490 | 89,061 | Akron → |
| 11 | CUYAHOGA FALLS CITY PWS OH7701012 · 51,114 served | Lead service lines present | 1,014 | 57 | 3,067 | 17,183 | |
| 12 | YOUNGSTOWN CITY PWS OH5002303 · 130,530 served | Lead service lines present | 735 | 2,227 | 11,718 | 51,783 | |
| 13 | MONTGOMERY COUNTY WATER SERVICES 2 PWS OH5701503 · 83,033 served | Lead service lines present | 653 | 98 | 12,174 | 30,792 | |
| 14 | SPRINGFIELD CITY PWS OH1204412 · 60,680 served | Lead service lines present | 433 | 1,438 | 19,444 | 23,550 | |
| 15 | ELYRIA WATER DEPARTMENT OH4700411 · 68,000 served | Lead service lines present | 403 | 438 | 4,118 | 19,874 | |
| 16 | MONTGOMERY COUNTY WATER SERVICES 1 PWS OH5701315 · 150,207 served | Lead service lines present | 370 | 156 | 16,665 | 49,666 | |
| 17 | AQUA OHIO - STRUTHERS OH5001611 · 58,551 served | Lead service lines present | 88 | 388 | 9,655 | 24,427 | |
| 18 | DEL-CO WATER COMPANY, INC. OH2101412 · 150,000 served | Lead service lines present | 9 | 19 | 14,186 | 56,197 | |
| 19 | LAKE COUNTY WEST WATER SUBDISTRICT OH4302411 · 78,379 served | Lead service lines present | 1 | 0 | 22,556 | 27,914 | |
| 20 | MANSFIELD CITY OH7002914 · 51,000 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 43 | 21,334 | 22,949 | |
| 21 | AQUA OHIO - MASSILLON PWS OH7604512 · 95,636 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 1,119 | 11,387 | 40,441 | |
| 22 | LORAIN CITY PWS OH4700711 · 64,152 served | Many lines still unverified | 0 | 0 | 8,159 | 20,084 | |
| 23 | CANTON PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH7608112 · 107,113 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 3,233 | 4,869 | 42,875 | |
| 24 | CLERMONT PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM OH1302212 · 133,059 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,080 | |
| 25 | BUTLER CO. WATER DISTRICT 2 PWS OH0900303 · 116,572 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42,124 | |
| 26 | WARREN COUNTY OH8301512 · 81,975 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28,919 | |
| 27 | AQUA OHIO - MENTOR OH4301511 · 74,500 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32,183 | |
| 28 | RURAL LORAIN CO. WATER A OH4701803 · 73,125 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24,908 | |
| 29 | FINDLAY CITY PWS OH3200111 · 54,040 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 28 | 0 | 19,004 |
A lead or unknown service line means lead can enter water after it leaves the treatment plant, so city-level test results understate what reaches your tap. Filter drinking and cooking water with an NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified system, and see the lead in drinking water guide or Ohio city water reports.
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