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Aqua Ohio says Marion’s water “meets state and federal requirements,” but residents have smelled, felt, and seen something different: earthy, musty odors; brown or discolored water; stained laundry; damaged appliances; and the recurring expense of bottled water. In late 2025 and early 2026, Aqua shifted treatment—relying more on well water, dosing with activated carbon, and increasing hydrant flushing—while publicly insisting the system remained compliant. When Marion Watch Investigates asked about corrosion control, Aqua told our team that corrosion inhibitors were not used during those treatment changes.
That admission is central to residents’ concerns because treatment shifts without corrosion control can destabilize protective scales inside pipes and increase the risk of metals leaching into tap water.
What Marion Watch Investigates Documented
Marion Watch Investigates collected resident complaints, independent sample results, and on‑the‑ground reporting published at Marionwatch.com, along with community threads and social media pages where citizens (now numbering thousands) share observations and coordinate testing. Our coverage shows a consistent sequence: detection of organic compounds, strong chemical smell /taste, and skin irritation in source water; a rapid operational response by Aqua (source switching, carbon dosing, flushing); and persistent household impacts.
An independent sample cited in our reporting (sample dated Jan 12, 2026) showed detectable lead and other stress indicators. Marion Watch’s timeline and community posts document pH and chemistry shifts that experts say can destabilize pipe scales and mobilize metals.
Expanded review: Cases where independent testing contradicted Aqua’s public assurances
University Park, Illinois (Aqua Illinois)
- What happened: In 2017 Aqua Illinois changed the community’s source water and altered treatment chemistry. Residents immediately reported foul taste and odor. Independent and regulatory testing later showed that corrosion control failed and lead leached from household plumbing.
- Testing and findings: Internal company data and later independent/state testing documented elevated lead levels. Independent and state‑mandated sampling ultimately found lead concentrations far above legal limits, with some samples reaching levels that forced emergency responses and long‑term remediation.
- Outcome: The Illinois Attorney General filed suit alleging Aqua operated without required permits and caused corrosion control failures; the case culminated in a consent order requiring remediation, expanded sampling, bottled‑water provisions, and ongoing monitoring. The University Park case is a clear example where independent and regulatory testing exposed a gap between corporate assurances and actual tap‑water exposures.
- Why it matters for Marion: University Park shows how source changes and treatment chemistry adjustments—if not paired with proper corrosion control—can produce dangerous, localized lead exposures even when a utility initially claims compliance.
North Carolina (Aqua NC and Carolina Water Service areas)
- What happened: Across multiple counties, residents reported dark brown or black water, skin rashes, and gastrointestinal complaints while Aqua repeatedly asserted the water was safe and blamed harmless minerals.
- Testing and findings: Citizen‑led testing and later state and federal investigations revealed repeated violations of secondary and operational standards, evidence of inadequate flushing and well‑site maintenance, and conditions conducive to bacterial growth and elevated mineral concentrations. In several instances, independent testing contradicted company statements and prompted regulatory follow‑up.
- Outcome: Ongoing advocacy and regulatory attention forced more transparent sampling and, in some areas, corrective actions. The North Carolina cases illustrate how persistent citizen testing can reveal chronic operational failures that corporate statements alone do not disclose.
Pennsylvania (Aqua Pennsylvania and contested privatizations)
- What happened: In Pennsylvania, complaints ranged from improper service terminations to concerns about the public benefit of privatizing municipal systems. Independent reviews and regulatory actions questioned Aqua’s practices.
- Testing and findings: While the Pennsylvania cases are more varied, regulatory investigations and court rulings have repeatedly required greater transparency and have blocked or conditioned acquisitions when the company failed to demonstrate public benefit. Independent oversight and legal scrutiny in Pennsylvania have exposed business practices and operational shortcomings that corporate assurances did not fully address.
- Outcome: The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission imposed fines and settlements in consumer‑protection cases; courts have required stronger proof of public benefit before allowing acquisitions. These actions show how regulatory and legal mechanisms can correct or limit corporate behavior when independent evidence and public records reveal problems.
Common thread across cases
- In each jurisdiction where independent testing or regulatory sampling contradicted Aqua’s public statements, the pattern included: a treatment or source change; immediate resident complaints (taste, odor, discoloration); company reassurances that water met regulatory standards; and later independent or regulatory testing that revealed corrosion control failures, elevated metals, or other operational violations. Those findings led to enforcement actions, consent orders, or ongoing remediation in multiple states. Marion’s local evidence—independent samples, pH and chemistry shifts, and Aqua’s admission that corrosion inhibitors were not used—fits that pattern and therefore warrants the same level of independent oversight and repeated sampling.
Why the absence of corrosion inhibitors matters
Corrosion inhibitors are a standard tool to preserve protective scales inside distribution systems and household plumbing. When utilities change source water, add carbon, or perform aggressive flushing without adjusting corrosion control, water chemistry can shift—pH, alkalinity, and oxidant demand change—stripping protective coatings and allowing lead, copper, and other metals to leach into taps. Lead is especially dangerous for infants and young children; public‑health authorities emphasize there is no known safe blood lead level for children. Detectable lead or corrosion indicators, even if below regulatory action levels, are warning signs that require immediate, repeated investigation.
The human impact
The sensory alarm of water that smells or looks wrong triggers instinctive disgust and distrust; residents stop trusting the taps in their own homes. That distrust is compounded by the invisible nature of the most serious threats: lead and corrosion are largely odorless and invisible; their harm—especially to children’s developing brains—can be lifelong and irreversible.
Financial stress follows: families buy bottled water, install filters, replace damaged appliances, and sometimes face medical or developmental concerns. Those costs fall heaviest on low‑income households.
Is Aqua Being Transparent?
Psychologically, being told “everything is fine” while living evidence suggests otherwise creates cognitive dissonance, anxiety about children’s health, and anger toward institutions that are supposed to protect public safety.
Marion’s water crisis is not just a technical dispute over treatment protocols; it is a test of public trust. Aqua’s admission to Marion Watch Investigates that corrosion inhibitors were not used during recent treatment changes, dismissing our concerns, combined with independent samples and thousands of resident complaints, demands more than reassurances that the system “meets state and federal requirements.” It demands transparent records, repeated and geographically distributed testing, independent oversight, and immediate protections for the most vulnerable households.
If local officials and regulators cannot or will not provide those safeguards, residents must organize to secure independent sampling, public disclosure of operational logs and chemical feeds, and enforceable remediation plans.
Marion families deserve clear answers and concrete action now — not technicalities that leave children, seniors, and low‑income households bearing the risk.
Marion Watch Investigates will continue to follow this story, publish new findings, and help residents hold decision‑makers accountable until the water in every tap is demonstrably safe.
Works Cited
Marion Watch Investigates — “Things Aren’t Adding Up: Why Marion Residents Are Questioning the City’s Water ‘Fix’.”
Date: December 17, 2025
Relevancy: Primary local reporting documenting resident complaints, Aqua’s operational changes in Marion (source switching, activated carbon dosing, flushing), and Marion Watch’s direct reporting that Aqua told Marion Watch Investigates corrosion inhibitors were not used. Also documents community threads and coordinated testing referenced in the article.
Full URL: https://marionwatch.com
Marion Watch Investigates — “The ‘Safe’ Deception: Lab Results Reveal the True Cost of Aqua Ohio’s Treatment Shift.”
Date: January 24, 2026
Relevancy: Independent sample analysis (Pure H2O sample dated Jan 12, 2026), timeline of chemistry shifts (pH, sodium, corrosion indicators), and Marion Watch’s synthesis of resident impacts and operational records. Primary source for Marion‑specific sampling and Aqua’s statements to reporters.
Full URL: https://marionwatch.com
WSYX / ABC Columbus — “Marion residents report strange tasting and smelling water; tests show it’s safe.”
Date: December 15, 2025
Relevancy: Local news coverage of Aqua’s public notice about detected organic compounds and Aqua’s public statement that the water met state and federal standards; corroborates company public notices referenced in the article.
Full URL: https://abc6onyourside.com
Illinois Attorney General — “James Glasgow files lawsuit against Aqua Illinois” (Complaint and related filings).
Date: August 16, 2019
Relevancy: Official legal filing alleging Aqua Illinois operated without required permits, changed source water and chemical treatment, and caused corrosion control failures that led to elevated lead levels in University Park; used as legal precedent and documentation of the University Park crisis.
Full URL: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/dA/dc8b594b6b/201908-16%20JAMES%20GLASGOW%20FILE%20LAWSUIT%20AGAINST%20AQUA%20ILLINOIS.pdf
Illinois Attorney General — “Attorney General Raoul and Will County State’s Attorney Glasgow Announce Consent Order with Aqua Illinois Over Water Contamination.”
Date: October 5, 2023 (updated July 2024)
Relevancy: Announcement and summary of the consent order resolving the University Park lead crisis, including required remediation, monitoring, and technical assistance measures; used to show regulatory outcomes and enforcement precedent.
Full URL: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/news/story/attorney-general-raoul-and-will-county-states-attorney-glasgow-announce-consent-order-with-aqua-illinois-over-water-contamination
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency — University Park Drinking Water Response (background and technical notes).
Date: Ongoing (page updated as events developed)
Relevancy: Regulatory chronology, technical findings on corrosion control, and documentation of approved corrosion control treatments used in University Park; supports technical claims about corrosion control and treatment choices.
Full URL: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa
Clean Water for North Carolina — “Aqua NC & Carolina Water Service Concerns” (tracker and reporting).
Date: Ongoing (organization tracker)
Relevancy: Compilation of citizen complaints, testing, and advocacy around brown/black water and other chronic issues in Aqua North Carolina service areas; used to contextualize similar complaints and regulatory responses in other states.
Full URL: https://cwfnc.org/our-work/privatized-water/aqua-nc-carolina-water-service-concerns/
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission — “PUC Approves Settlement with Aqua Pennsylvania Regarding Improper Service Terminations.”
Date: 2023 (press release)
Relevancy: Documents PUC enforcement action and settlement after Aqua Pennsylvania improperly terminated service for customers; used to support claims about regulatory intervention and consumer protection actions in Pennsylvania.
Full URL: https://www.puc.pa.gov/press-release/2023/puc-approves-settlement-with-aqua-pennsylvania-regarding-improper-service-terminations
WHYY / Spotlight PA — “How a recent court ruling could put the brakes on water and sewer privatization in Pennsylvania.”
Date: August 11, 2023
Relevancy: Reporting on Commonwealth Court rulings and the legal environment limiting municipal system acquisitions by private utilities; used to support claims about contested privatizations and judicial pushback.
Full URL: https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-water-sewer-privatization-public-utility-commission-aqua/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — “Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water.”
Date: Ongoing (EPA guidance page; consult for most recent update)
Relevancy: Federal public‑health guidance stating there is no known safe blood lead level for children, explaining corrosion control requirements, and providing context for why detectable lead and corrosion indicators are public‑health concerns.
Full URL: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water (epa.gov in Bing)