Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in Cincinnati?

Greater Cincinnati Water Works draws mainly from the Ohio River at the Richard Miller Treatment Plant — famous for its massive granular activated carbon (GAC) contactors and, since 2013, one of the largest UV disinfection installations in North America — plus groundwater treated at the Bolton plant.

Meets all federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards. The GAC-plus-UV treatment train removes trace organics and pathogens beyond conventional requirements, and the utility is a frequent national benchmark for river-source treatment.

• •The Ohio River carries upstream industrial and agricultural inputs — the reason Cincinnati invested in carbon treatment decades ago; GAC strips trace organics including many PFAS compounds
• •Spill events upstream (like the 2023 East Palestine plume concerns) are managed with real-time monitoring and intake shutdowns
• •Disinfection byproducts are kept low partly because carbon removes their precursors
• •Legacy lead service lines in older neighborhoods are inventoried and being replaced

Cincinnati is the reference case for treating a hard-working industrial river to a very high standard — its carbon-and-UV plant outperforms conventional treatment found in most river cities and positioned it well for the EPA's new PFAS rules.

• •Cincinnati's water is excellent from the tap; no filter is needed for safety
• •The utility offers lead service line lookups and replacement scheduling for older homes
• •Annual reports detail GAC and UV performance