WATER TREATMENT · 69 MIN FROM OUR CORTLAND OFFICE
East Liverpool drinks Ohio River water, filtered by the city and disinfected with chlorine, not chloramine. EPA has a lead result for every year from 2018 through 2025, and each one was under the action level.
Serving our communities since 1967
USGS sampled Columbiana County wells between 1986 and 2016. That shows what is common here, and your own water test sets the size of the system.
Schedule a water test- Very hardMedian 16.7 gpg; 86% of 14 wells hard or very hardThe softener
- Iron79% of 14 wells above 0.3 mg/L; median 0.58 mg/LThe iron system
- Manganese86% of 14 wells above 0.05 mg/LThe iron system
- pHMedian pH 7.1; 0% of 14 wells below 6.5Blue-green stains
- Town waterthe East Liverpool City public water system: about 12,586 people, surface water it treats itselfChlorine removal
- Not on recordBacteria, nitrate, PFAS, arsenicWater testing
- 14 wellsIn the USGS record for Columbiana County. Each well counts once, as the median of its samples.
- 453 wellsDomestic wells on file within 5 miles of East Liverpool, a median 159 feet deep.
- 69 minFrom our Cortland office by road. Same crews, same drive, for the whole area.
- WHAT YOUR TEST ADDS
- Your well’s numbers, not the county’s
- Bacteria and nitrate, which the record never covers
- Which equipment your water needs, and in what order
WHAT WE INSTALL IN EAST LIVERPOOL
The Equipment East Liverpool
Water Tends to Need.
Chatfield Water Systems is one line, with one system per problem. Your water test decides which ones you need and in what order; the county record shows which are likely.
- VERY HARD AT THE MEDIAN
Water softeners
86% of sampled Columbiana County wells were hard or very hard, at a median of 16.7 grains per gallon. Your softener is sized to your own test.
EXPLORE - 79% OF WELLS ABOVE THE IRON LINE
Iron & manganese removal
79% of sampled wells were above 0.3 mg/L of iron and 86% above the manganese line. The FerronX goes in at the point of entry, ahead of the softener.
EXPLORE - ON TOWN WATER
Chlorine removal
East Liverpool’s public water is disinfected surface water, so the chlorine is still in it at the tap. The CityLux takes it out of the whole supply.
EXPLORE - FIRST, EVERY TIME
A water test
Every system above starts with a test of your well or your tap water, from our Cortland office, about 69 minutes from East Liverpool. What it finds decides which equipment you need and the order it goes in.
EXPLORE
WATER TREATMENT IN EAST LIVERPOOL
What East Liverpool Water Says,
and What We Do About It.
What the city does to Ohio River water
The East Liverpool City system is surface water from an Ohio River intake, with one treatment plant and seven storage tanks, serving 12,586 people on 5,550 connections. The particle steps are the standard ones for a river: rapid mix, coagulation, sedimentation and rapid sand filtration. Permanganate and powdered activated carbon are both listed for taste and odor control.
Disinfection is hypochlorination after filtration, which means chlorine. Fluoride is added, and pH is adjusted. Chlorine is the part you may notice at home, in the shower and in a glass from the tap. A CityLux takes it out at the point of entry, and our chlorine taste page covers the symptom in more detail.
Eight annual lead rounds, 2018 to 2025
The system feeds an orthophosphate inhibitor for corrosion control, added to protect pipes. EPA has a lead 90th percentile for every year from 2018 through 2025. The highest was the first, 0.0075 mg/L in 2018. After that came 0.0026, 0.0021 and 0.0028 mg/L, two rounds recorded as zero in 2022 and 2023, then 0.00146 in 2024 and 0.00184 in 2025. All eight were under the 0.015 mg/L action level.
Each number summarizes homes sampled around the city. Your plumbing is its own case. A certified-lab lead test through our water testing shows what your tap delivers, and if lead turns up, reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink is the usual answer.
Private wells within 5 miles
For homes on wells, ODNR has 453 well logs within 5 miles. Wells run a median 159 feet deep. Rock starts close to the surface, a median 5 feet down, while water stands a median 85 feet below ground. Yields vary widely, from 5 gallons a minute or less in the bottom quarter to 30 or more in the top quarter.
The rock mapped under the city is the Allegheny and Pottsville Groups: shale, siltstone, limestone and sandstone. The Columbiana County record shows iron over the 0.3 mg/L staining line in 79 percent of sampled wells, so iron belongs in the first test, along with hardness. The FerronX Iron System handles iron and manganese; bacteria samples go to a certified lab.
The Columbiana County record
USGS samples from Columbiana County wells, taken 1986–2016: 86% of wells hard or very hard, 79% over the iron line, 0% below pH 6.5. The full record, measure by measure, is on the Columbiana County water treatment page.
From our Cortland office
East Liverpool is about 69 minutes and 60 miles by road from our Cortland office, and the municipalities around it get the same crews and the same drive: Chester, Glasgow, Wellsville, Georgetown, Hookstown, Greene Township, Midland, Stratton, Ohioville, New Cumberland. Nearby on the map:
Source: Water quality: USGS National Water Information System results for Columbiana County wells, served through the Water Quality Portal, sampled between 1986 and 2016, retrieved 2026-09-14. Each well counts once, as the median of its samples. The 0.3 mg/L iron and 0.05 mg/L manganese marks are EPA secondary standards, which are aesthetic limits, not health limits. Well depth: Ohio Department of Natural Resources well-log database, 9,424 domestic wells in Columbiana County with a recorded depth, logged between 1925 and 2026, retrieved 2026-09-14.
A LITTLE CLARITY
East Liverpool Questions.
Straight Answers.
Is East Liverpool’s water treated with chloramine?
Not according to EPA’s list for the system. It shows hypochlorination after filtration, which is chlorine. Chlorine is easier to remove than chloramine, and a CityLux takes it out for the whole house. If the taste bothers you only at the kitchen tap, the test and consultation will help decide whether whole-house equipment is worth it.
Why does the city’s system use both permanganate and carbon?
EPA lists both for taste and odor control. Permanganate oxidizes compounds that cause off tastes and smells, and powdered activated carbon adsorbs them so the filters can take them out. Both work during treatment, before the water enters the mains. If you notice a taste at your own tap, a water test can show whether it is chlorine or something else.
What should a well outside East Liverpool be tested for?
Start with bacteria through a certified lab, since rock sits only a few feet below the surface here and the soil above it is thin. After that come iron, manganese, hardness and pH, which the crew from the Cortland office checks on site. Any equipment then goes in this order: sediment, iron, softening, and a Luminor UV lamp last.
Do you test water in East Liverpool?
Yes. Chatfield’s water test and consultation cover East Liverpool from our Cortland office, about 69 minutes away by road. The test measures what is in your water and at what level, and any equipment it points to is quoted after the results.
Talk with the Chatfield team.
(724) 588-2652A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE GOES A LONG WAY
Know Your Water.
WATER PROBLEMSDo you have hard water?
The signs, the county hardness record, and how to confirm it.
WATER PROBLEMSOrange stains from your well water.
Read the stain, the county iron record, and what to note before you call.
WATER PROBLEMSBacteria in your water.
What a coliform result means, what to do now, and which treatment follows.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Better Water in East Liverpool
Starts with a Test.
Call or fill out the form to schedule your water test. We’ll come out from Cortland, measure what is in the water, and recommend the equipment that fits.