Water
The City of Columbus provides water service to all Dublin residents and businesses on the public distribution system. The water supply is supported by both surface water and groundwater sources and is regularly tested to ensure quality and safety.
If you suspect a water main break, you can call the City of Dublin Division of Streets and Utilities at 614-410-4750, during regular business hours. A member of staff will visit the site to determine the nature of the problem, and contact the City of Columbus on your behalf. Please use the City of Columbus emergency number provided outside regular business hours. Questions regarding water bills, meters, and meter reading dates, should be addressed to the City of Columbus Division of Water at 614-645-8270.
Water Quality
The most common water quality concerns are addressed on the City of Columbus website, however, if you have additional questions, please contact their Water Quality Assurance Lab (WQAL) at 645-7691 (8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday).
The City of Columbus performs regular testing to ensure quality and safety, which includes testing lead levels in Dublin every three years. The tests are performed in 50 different locations throughout the City to ensure a wide sample. You can learn more about lead in drinking water and view the Water for Living Consumer Confidence report online here.
City of Columbus, Division of Water
910 Dublin Road, Room 109, Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-645-8270
Water main breaks & emergency service for evening
& weekends: 614-645-7788
Website: http://columbus.gov/NewService/
Utility Extension
Dublin City Council adopted a new policy regarding public water and sanitary sewer utility extensions to areas that do not currently have access to these public services. Council adopted this policy on December 7, 2015.
The policy outlines a process by which the City will identify, prioritize and implement the design and construction of public utility service extensions.
Utility Extension Public Meeting April 19, 2018 Presentation
Tapping & Connecting to Public Water
Step 1
Apply for a water main tapping permit at the City of Dublin’s Engineering Division, 6555 Shier Rings Road (614.410.4740). The 2021 Dublin water capacity charge is $1,890 for a ¾ inch tap.
Step 2
After obtaining permit from the Engineering Division, apply in person at the City of Columbus, Division of Water, 111 N. Front Street (614.645.7330) to pay the City of Columbus water service connection charges. You will need to take the Dublin permit with you. The 2021 City of Columbus system capacity charge is $1,749 for a ¾ inch tap. The Contract Area is Dublin. There is a $337 (2021) meter charge that must also be paid to obtain a water meter.
Step 3
At this point you must hire a contractor to install the service line that extends from your home to the water main. Our Building Standards Division can provide a list of contractors licensed with the City to perform this work. Before the contractor is permitted to begin working, you must first obtain a City of Dublin Right-of-Way permit by contacting Ian Pritchard, Engineering Project Inspector at 614.410.4639. The 2021 ROW permit fee is $55 for residential and $400 for commercial. During the ROW permit review process, our staff will review your contractor’s plans for accomplishing the work to make sure the work is performed in accordance with all applicable standards and specifications. If the water main is on the opposite side of the road from your property, a portion of the water service will need to be constructed beneath the road. We will require your contractor to use directional drilling for this portion of your service as a means to avoid open cutting the road.
Step 4
You (and/or your contractor) are responsible for coordinating the work with inspectors from the City of Dublin, City of Columbus and Franklin County Public Health. Inspections are required to ensure that the water meter and service line are correctly installed and that backflow prevention devices are installed if you should decide to continue to use your well system. If you wish to abandon your well system, you must obtain a well sealing permit. Gary Young of Franklin County Public Health may be contacted at 614.525.3909 to obtain additional information regarding well abandonment.
The City of Dublin does not own or operate either a wastewater treatment facility or a water treatment facility. The City currently provides for sanitary sewer and water treatment services mainly through contracts between the City of Dublin and the City of Columbus. These agreements are comprehensive in nature and ensure the City of Dublin’s ability to provide sewer and water service to our community as it grows. The City also has agreements with Shawnee Hills and Delaware County for sanitary sewer services.
Note: All fees listed are valid only for the year listed. Fees may be adjusted in the future. City of Columbus fees are listed for reference only. Contact City of Columbus to obtain current fees.
Tapping & Connecting to Public Sewer
Step 1
Apply for a sanitary sewer tap permit at the City of Dublin’s Engineering Division (614.410.4740). The 2021 permit fee is $5,404 based on a ¾ inch water tap. If water is coming from a well, ¾ inch tap will be assumed. The money collected helps cover the following: costs associated with maintaining the sanitary sewer system within Dublin ($2,210); inspection services provided by the City of Dublin that relate to the installation of your sewer lateral ($150); services provided by the City of Columbus associated with conveying and treating sewage ($3,044).
Step 2
After obtaining a permit you must hire a contractor to install the service line that extends from your home to the sanitary sewer main. Our Building Standards Division can provide a list of contractors licensed with the City to perform this work. Before the contractor is permitted to begin working, you must first obtain a City of Dublin Right-of-Way permit by contacting Ian Pritchard, Engineering Project Inspector, at 614.410.4639. The 2021 ROW permit fee is $55 for residential and $400 for commercial. During the ROW permit review process, our staff will review your contractor’s plans for accomplishing the work to make sure the work is performed in accordance with all applicable standards and specifications. If the sanitary sewer main is on the opposite side of the road from your property, a portion of the sewer service will need to be constructed beneath the road. We will require your contractor to use directional drilling for this portion of your service as a means to avoid open cutting the road. This construction technique is commonly employed by many contractors within our area and is not expected to add unnecessary project costs.
Step 3
You (and/or your contractor) are responsible for coordinating the work with inspectors from the City of Dublin, City of Columbus and Franklin County Public Health. Inspections are required to ensure that the sewer service line is correctly installed and that the septic system is abandoned properly. James May of Franklin County Public Health may be contacted at 614.525.4928 to obtain additional information regarding septic system abandonment.
Note: All fees listed are valid only for the year listed. Fees may be adjusted in the future. City of Columbus fees are listed for reference only. Contact City of Columbus to obtain current fees.
Water Supply
Existing Conditions
The City of Columbus water supply is supported by both surface water and groundwater sources and is the primary source of drinking water for the city. The City of Columbus is currently in the process of improvements to increase the system’s water supply and safe yield (the amount of water that can be supplied during an extended period of drought). Columbus is planning to expand groundwater wells, and is constructing three additional reservoirs in Delaware County. The continued efforts to maintain adequate sources of drinking water will enable the Dublin to support additional community growth. The construction of the first (and largest) of the upground reservoirs and associated piping was completed in 2013. The need for the other two reservoirs will be determined in future years and no construction dates have been set.
The water distribution system supplying Dublin provides an average of approximately 5.9 million gallons of domestic water on a daily basis. The distribution system consists of over 235 miles of water distribution pipe ranging in size from 2 to 24 inch. The system contains 3,110 public fire hydrants and 2,995 water valves.
Water storage towers, necessary for fire protection and maintaining pressure in the system, is provided by five storage tanks with a combined capacity of 7 million gallons. The current active storage towers are:
- Rings Road Storage Tower (2 MG)
- Avery Road Storage Tower (2 MG)
- Tartan West Storage Tower (0.5 MG)
- Darree Fields Storage Tower (2 MG)
- Dublin Road Storage Tower (0.5 MG)
System water storage is maintained by four booster stations (Rings Road, Post Road, Brand Road, and Tartan). The storage towers and booster stations control the system hydraulics across four pressure districts (Henderson, Smoky Row, Post and Tartan).
Visit the Community Plan website for more details on Dublin’s Water Supply
Sanitary Sewer
Existing Conditions
The sanitary sewer collection system for the City of Dublin contains seven major sanitary trunk sewers and seven sewer tributary areas. The sanitary sewer tributary areas include:
- Deer Run Sanitary Trunk Sewer
- North Fork Indian Run Sanitary Trunk Sewer
- South Fork Indian Run Sanitary Trunk Sewer
- Cosgray Sanitary Trunk Sewer
- North Cramer Sanitary Trunk Sewer
- South Cramer Sanitary Trunk Sewer
- Riverside Sanitary Trunk Sewer
The Riverside Sanitary Trunk Sewer serves those areas of Dublin on the east side of the Scioto River and drains into the City of Columbus sanitary sewer system through the Upper Scioto East Interceptor Sewer. The remaining six tributary areas located on the west side of the Scioto River drain to the Upper Scioto West Interceptor Sewer. The Upper Scioto West Interceptor is the latest major improvement to the sanitary sewer system. The $21.7 million ($18.7 million funded by the City of Dublin and $3.0 million by the City of Columbus) project was undertaken to relieve many system deficiencies and provide the sanitary sewer system adequate capacity necessary to meet future wastewater demands.
The City of Dublin has 1,182,380 feet (223.94 miles) of sewer. When you combine both Dublin and private, there is 1,259,396 feet (238.52 miles).
The sanitary sewer collection system consists of more than 238 miles of sanitary sewers and 5,668 sanitary sewer manholes. One sanitary sewer pump station along with approximately 3,420 feet of sanitary sewer force main complement the system to provide service to areas in the Riverside Sanitary Sewer Tributary areas where gravity service is not feasible. This pump station is located along the east side of Riverside Drive between Summit View Road and Wyandotte Woods Boulevard. The City of Dublin currently generates an average of approximately 6 mgd of wastewater that drains to the City of Columbus sanitary sewer system for ultimate treatment and disposal.
The city’s system also acts as a conduit for the Shawnee Hills and Columbus Zoo’s wastewater to access the interceptor sewers for treatment by Columbus.
View Larger Map | Visit the Community Plan website for more details on Dublin’s Sanitary Sewer
Policy for Public Water and Sanitary Sewer Extensions
City Council Repeals City Code Sections Requiring Connections
Dublin City Council on December 7, 2015 adopted a new policy regarding public water and sanitary sewer utility extensions to areas that do not currently have access to these public services.
The policy outlines a process by which the City will identify, prioritize, program and implement the design and construction of public utility service extensions.
The process to extend public sanitary sewer and water services to an Extension Area may be initiated either by the City or by the property owners within an Extension Area as follows:
- City’s Five-Year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Planned Extensions
- Petition for Extension by Property Owners
Petition Process
Affected property owners may request City Council to extend public utilities to and within an Extension Area. The request shall be initiated by the Petition Representative submitting a signed Utility Extension Application to the City Manager.
Affected Property Owners may submit a Utility Extension Application to the City Manager no later than March 1 of each year for consideration and possible inclusion in the City’s next update of the five year CIP, which is generally adopted in September of each year. The completed Utility Extension Application must include:
- A cover letter outlining the request for the public utility extension
- A completed Utility Extension Petition supporting the request, signed by no less than 85% of the Affected Property Owners
- A properly executed affidavit by the petition representative indicating the Affected Property Owners’ commitments to connect to the utilities as well as donate, at no expense to the City, all necessary easements for the placement of the public water and/or sanitary sewer utility services
- Identification of the Extension Area desiring extension of public utility services with a list of all Affected Property addresses; and
- An indication whether an extension of public water or sanitary sewer services is requested, or both.
City of Dublin Water and Sewer Extension Application
City of Dublin Water and Sewer Extension Petition
City of Dublin Water and Sewer Extension Affidavit of Petition Representative
City Council also repealed sections 51.40 Use of Public Sewers Required and 52.00 Use of Public Water System Required of the Codified Ordinance of the City of Dublin. Property owners will not be required to connect to the public water system in the future. Franklin County Public Health is responsible for the inspection and permitting of household sewage treatment systems and has the authority under the Ohio Administrative Code to require connection to an accessible public sanitary sewage system.
Dublin will work with Franklin County Public Health to require residents to connect to the nearest accessible public sanitary sewer system when:
- a household sewage treatment system (HSTS) is inoperable or malfunctioning and a public sewer system is accessible within 200 feet of the structure
- an application for a permit to install a new HSTS is submitted to FCPH and a public sewer system is accessible within 200 feet of the structure.
Policy as adopted by Dublin City Council on December 7, 2015 | Presentation
The important issue of public water utility and sanitary sewer utility extensions to areas that do not have access to these public services has been the subject of ongoing discussions and designated a priority by City Council.
“It’s an issue that’s important to the City. It’s important for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of our residents; it protects our groundwater resources and it protects our waterways,” Mayor Michael Keenan.
Download the Map | Connection Charges | Water and Sewer Fee Schedule A
