Big Prairie Community Water Company
What EPA’s and Ohio’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 200 people
- Connections
- 63
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Wooster, OH
- County
- Holmes
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate, above the health goal. 3 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, arsenic, chromium (total) and haloacetic acids (HAA5): Ohio’s own results, samples taken from April 16, 2020 to Sept. 9, 2025, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal1
Nitrate
Comes from the source
17ppm
Highest sample; found in 4 of 6
2025, one sample: 17 ppm
One sample, in 2025, was above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, at 17 ppm. No follow-up sample at that point within 30 days is on file. 10 ppm is also EPA’s health goal. That was also the latest year on file, and its one sample was 17 ppm, above the limit. EPA recorded no violation for nitrate at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 1.5 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Below EPA’s limits2
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
16.8ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2025
2025 average: 13 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 16.8 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 13 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 14.3 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.17ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.17 ppm, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. That was also the latest year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
4 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Lead
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claim: Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)
For: Nitrate
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction
For: Nitrate
Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate
At the tap, or for the whole house?
These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | The required inventory of lead service lines was not completed or submitted on time.EPA: LSL Inventory | Oct. 17, 2024 | — | Resolved |
| Groundwater Rule | A significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address Deficiency | Oct. 2, 2024 | — | Unaddressed |
| Groundwater Rule | A significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address Deficiency | July 12, 2024 | — | Unaddressed |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 5 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, arsenic, chromium (total) and haloacetic acids (HAA5) results here are Ohio’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Big Prairie Community Water Company’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; Ohio’s results run from April 16, 2020 to Sept. 9, 2025.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Ohio certifies closest to the area Big Prairie Community Water Company serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Edenridge Laboratory, Ltd.
Millersburg, OH · about 16 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eastern Lab Services, Ltd.
Medina, OH · about 29 miles
Certified for bacteria
Coshocton Environmental Testing, LLC
Coshocton, OH · about 30 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Drinking and Ground Waters, results from Jan. 2, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2025, read Oct. 17, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Ohio EPA, laboratories certified/accepted to perform analyses on public drinking water, read Oct. 10, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID OH3800112. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on NitrateWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Nitrate
- Get the utility’s own reportBig Prairie Community Water Company must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs