Shadyside Public Water System water quality
Barnesville, OH · serves 3,689 people (1,723 connections) · Groundwater · Private · EPA ID OH0701612
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 5.2 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level3.19 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Shadyside Public Water System's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (740) 676-4748. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested May 2024 to Nov 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.2 ppt 1.3× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 9.35 ppt 94% of the limit |
| PFNA Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 2 ppt 20% of the limit |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Rounds to the limit Limit 1 | 1.14 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 10.5 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 1.7 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 1.7 ppt |
Why "rounds to the limit"? the Hazard Index (1.14) is slightly above the number on paper, but EPA compares results after rounding to the limit's precision (4.4 ppt rounds to 4), so it meets the limit as EPA applies it. Close enough to the limit to be worth watching.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 95% of the Ohio systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 6 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 2 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.19 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
1 reported result in EPA's records is far above anything physically plausible (likely a unit or data-entry error) and is not used in the summary.
Highest since 2016: 5.09 ppb (Dec 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 3.19 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3.49 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 5.09 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 3.18 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 3.89 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 5.5 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 5.42 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 6.43 ppb |
| Jun 2004 – Sep 2004 | Reported value looks erroneous |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 1999 – Dec 1999 | 7 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: Consumer Confidence Rule.
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 43947
Questions
Is Shadyside Public Water System water safe to drink?
Shadyside Public Water System has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Shadyside Public Water System water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Shadyside Public Water System found 6 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 5.2 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Shadyside Public Water System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Shadyside Public Water System is 3.19 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for OH0701612: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID OH0701612).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Shadyside Public Water System at (740) 676-4748, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.