Ashtabula County, Ohio: drinking water report. Ashtabula County in Ohio's northeastern corner has about 97,000 residents along the Lake Erie shore.
Ashtabula County in Ohio's northeastern corner has about 97,000 residents along the Lake Erie shore. The city of Ashtabula and other lakeside communities draw from Lake Erie, while inland areas rely on groundwater. The county's industrial past includes chemical manufacturing, metalworking, and one of the most contaminated rivers in the Great Lakes basin.
The Ashtabula River was designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to contamination from industrial facilities along its banks. According to Ohio EPA's 2024 remediation report, sediment contamination included PCBs, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds from the Fields Brook Superfund site and other facilities. Over 600,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment have been removed, and the river is approaching delisting.
The former Ashtabula Airport has documented AFFF use. Ohio EPA's 2024 PFAS investigation found PFOS at 10 ppt in monitoring wells near the facility. Lake Erie source water for the county carries the same algal bloom and trace contaminant concerns as other communities along the southern shore.
Ashtabula County's industrial cleanup has improved river conditions significantly, but the contamination was decades in the making and residual impacts persist in groundwater near former industrial sites. Lake Erie water is treated and monitored.
We recommend checking your water for current results. For the industrial legacy and emerging contaminants in this area, reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap provides reliable protection. Our water filter guide covers systems suited to Great Lakes and industrial-area water. Pull your detailed report for historical data, and visit our Ohio page for statewide patterns.