Water Treatment
Oberlin has operated a public water supply since 1887. Today, the City Water Division operates a 2.25 million gallon a day water treatment facility serving nearly 3,000 homes and businesses. The treatment plant is located at 43885 Parsons Road, along the Black River. The river supplies most of the water to the plant, supplemented by the Oberlin reservoir and two elevated storage tanks. The plant is Ohio EPA-licensed to treat 2.25 million gallons per day and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The high quality drinking water produced by Oberlin consistently meets all water quality regulations. For more information, click on the following link to review the Water Quality Report for 2006 (173kb)

The treatment process is broken into many steps to produce premium quality drinking water, including: coagulation using aluminum sulfate and settling to remove particles; softening using lime and soda ash to remove calcium and magnesium which contribute to water hardness; disinfection using chlorine to kill harmful microorganisms; filtration using dual media filters to remove fine particles; fluoridation for dental protection; corrosion control using phosphate; and taste & odor control with powered activated carbon. The water is softened to approximately 160/mg/1 or 9.3 gpg and has a fluoride level of 1 mg/l. Additional water quality information is available by contacting the plant at (440) 775-7290.

Annual Fire Hydrant Flushing Program

The Oberlin Water Department will be flushing the City's water mains to test fire hydrants and improve water quality. This maintenance work usually occurs in the month of July.

To minimize inconvenience to the City's water customers, most of the water main flushing will be performed between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am; but, as required, flushing may continue during daytime hours.

The patience and cooperation of the City's water customers will be appreciated during this period. Please check water quality for discoloration prior to starting laundry or food preparation. If a customer finds his or her water to be cloudy, cold water faucets should be turned on until the water clears.

Waste-water Treatment Division
The Water Environment Protection Facility (WEPF) provides wastewater treatment for the City of Oberlin and has a design capacity of 1.5 million gallons per day and a peak capacity of 3 million gallons per day. The treatment plant is located on State Route 511 East and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The treatment process consists of preliminary screening and grit removal, primary tanks, contact stabilization tank, final settling tanks, ammonia removal tower, rapid sand filters and ultraviolet light for disinfection prior to discharge into Plum Creek. 

Storm water flows above 3 million gallons are stored in lined retention basins. Aerobic and anaerobic digestion is used to store the stabilized sludge until the by-product may be land applied to agricultural grounds.

Additional information is available by contacting the plant at (440) 775-7280.
 

Wastewater Plant Design Criteria
Design Flow	5.5 MGD (4.5 MGD Average)
Effluent Limitations (monthly averages)
Biochemical Oxygen Demand	10 mg/l (summer), 25 mg/l (winter)
Suspended Solids	15 mg/l (summer), 30 mg/l (winter)
Ammonia Nitrogen	2.0 mg/l (summer)
Dissolved Oxygen (minimum)	6.0 mg/l
Fecal Coliform	1000/100 ml (summer)