Mahoning County, Ohio: drinking water report. Mahoning County is home to Youngstown and about 228,000 residents in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley.
Mahoning County is home to Youngstown and about 228,000 residents in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley. The county's water comes from Meander Reservoir, Berlin Reservoir, and smaller sources operated by the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District and municipal systems. The Mahoning Valley was once the heart of American steel production, and the industry's century-long run left contamination that persists in soil and groundwater throughout the county.
The steel industry's legacy includes heavy metal contamination, slag piles, and industrial waste disposal sites scattered across the county. According to the Ohio EPA's 2024 site assessment program, Mahoning County has 37 properties with confirmed soil or groundwater contamination from former steel and metalworking operations. Manganese and iron concentrations in groundwater frequently exceed secondary standards, affecting taste and causing staining in private wells.
The Youngstown Air Reserve Station has confirmed PFAS contamination from AFFF firefighting foam. A 2024 Ohio EPA investigation documented PFOS at 28 ppt in groundwater monitoring wells near the base's fire training area. The EPA's UCMR5 data showed low-level PFAS in the public water supply drawn from surface reservoirs.
The steel industry is gone, but its environmental footprint remains across the Mahoning Valley. If you are on a private well near any former industrial site – and there are many – testing for heavy metals and volatile organic compounds is a practical necessity.
Check your water for available data at your location. For iron and manganese, whole-house oxidation filters improve both aesthetics and health outcomes. For PFAS, reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap adds targeted protection. Our water filter guide addresses both categories. Get your detailed report for historical trends, and see our Ohio page for statewide patterns.