Lakewood
Lakewood, OH water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
lakewood city pws
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID OH1801003
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Lakewood is a small but growing city and the 15th-largest in Ohio, home to roughly 50,656 residents. Lakewood's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Ohio: Lake Erie, Ohio River, and aquifers.
As elsewhere in Ohio, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. Lake Erie algal blooms, which once shut off Toledo's water, are a recurring quality threat.
Ohio reuses an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; Lakewood tracks no meaningful drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Ohio profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Lakewood below.
Cuyahoga County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~50,656 (15th-largest in Ohio)
- Primary sources: Lake Erie, Ohio River, and aquifers
- Drought: no meaningful conditions
- State reuse rate: ~3% of wastewater
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Lakewood?
Lakewood's largest water system, LAKEWOOD CITY PWS, serves about 50,942 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 1.7 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Lakewood get its water?
LAKEWOOD CITY PWS draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Ohio's supply from Lake Erie, Ohio River, aquifers.
Related water issues
Aging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExplorePFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
ExploreAlgal Blooms
Nutrient pollution and warming water are fueling toxic algae outbreaks that can shut down drinking-water intakes — as Toledo learned in 2014.
ExploreLead Contamination
Millions of lead service lines still connect homes to water mains. After Flint, a national push — backed by new EPA rules — aims to rip them all out.
Explore