WATER TREATMENT · WESTERN PA & NORTHEAST OHIO
Your utility makes the water safe to drink. It doesn’t soften it, it adds chlorine on purpose, and the miles of main between the plant and your house can add grit along the way. The CityLux takes care of what reaches your tap.
Serving our communities since 1967
Counted from EPA’s records for the 84 community water systems serving the towns on our service-area pages, retrieved September 30, 2026. Your utility’s annual water quality report covers yours.
Schedule a water test- At the plantBacteriaDisinfection is the utility’s job. 66 of the 84 systems list it, and the other 18 buy their water from one that does. A UV lamp is for private wells.
- At the plantIron and the rotten-egg smellEPA lists iron removal for 40 of the 84 systems, and the chlorine a utility adds takes care of the sulfur smell. Both are well-water problems first.
- At your tapSedimentHydrant flushing, a main break or a sudden pressure change can stir up the scale and rust in old mains after the water has left the plant.Cloudy or gritty water
- At your tapHardnessFew of the region’s plants soften. EPA lists softening for 4 of the 84 systems, so the hardness in the source water reaches your kettle and water heater.Hard water
- At your tapChlorine and chloramineKept in on purpose, so the water stays safe through miles of pipe. 6 of the systems list chloramine, which doesn’t fade when water stands.Chlorine taste
- 84Community water systems serving the towns we cover.
- 40List iron removal. The plant takes care of it.
- 4List softening. Hardness is left to you.
- WHAT THE CITYLUX DOES
- Softens the water for every tap
- Takes out chlorine and chloramine
- Catches grit with a micron filter
IS THIS YOUR WATER?
What City Water
Still Brings Home.
City water is safe to drink. It can still leave scale on the fixtures, chlorine in the shower, and grit in the aerators.
ONE UNIT, THREE JOBS
The CityLux,
Where the Water Comes In.
The CityLux is the Chatfield Water Systems unit for homes on municipal water. It goes in where the water line enters the house, so every faucet, shower, and appliance gets the treated water, not just the kitchen sink.
- 01
Grit caught
A micron filter where the line enters the house catches the sediment and rust the mains send along, before it reaches a faucet or an appliance.
- 02
Hardness out
The CityLux is a water softener, so the calcium and magnesium the plant left in come out before they can scale a fixture or a water heater.
- 03
Chlorine and chloramine out
Catalytic carbon in the same unit takes out the disinfectant, the taste and smell that come with it, and the byproducts it formed in the pipes.
- 04
Every tap
The kitchen, the bathrooms, the laundry, the ice maker: every gallon in the house is treated, not just the glass you pour through a pitcher.
CITY WATER TREATMENT
City Water Treatment for
Western PA and Northeast Ohio.
A municipal supply is treated, tested, and regulated, and it is safe to drink. But a utility treats water for safety, at the scale of a whole town. It doesn’t treat it for your water heater, your shower, or the taste of your coffee, and it can’t control what happens in the mains between the plant and your house.
Sediment: what the mains add
Water leaves the plant clean. On the way to you it runs through miles of main, some of it decades old. When a crew flushes hydrants, a main breaks, or the pressure in the line changes suddenly, the scale and rust that have settled in those pipes get stirred up and carried to your taps. You see it as grit in the faucet aerators, a cloudy glass, or a run of brown water. A micron filter at the point of entry catches it before it reaches your fixtures and appliances. More on cloudy or gritty water.
Hardness: what the plant leaves in
Hardness isn’t a health issue, so most utilities leave it alone. In EPA’s records for the 84 community water systems serving the towns on our service-area pages, 4 list softening as a treatment step. Whatever calcium and magnesium the source carries comes through to your kettle, your shower doors, and the inside of your water heater. Your own test gives the number, and the hard water page explains what it means.
Chlorine and chloramine: what the plant adds on purpose
Utilities keep a disinfectant in the water all the way to your tap, and that residual is what keeps it safe in the pipes. By the time it reaches you, its work is done, and what’s left is the taste, the smell, and the dry skin after a hot shower. Chlorine fades if a glass stands overnight. Chloramine, chlorine bonded with ammonia, doesn’t, and it takes catalytic carbon to remove. In the same records, 6 systems list chloramine; your utility’s annual report says which one yours runs. The chlorine removal page covers how the carbon works.
What city water usually doesn’t need
Iron and the rotten-egg smell are well-water problems first. EPA lists iron removal for 40 of the 84 systems, and the chlorine a utility adds takes care of the sulfur smell. The utility disinfects the water, too, so a UV lamp belongs on a private well, not a city line. If your home is on a well, start with the systems we install for well water instead.
Water treatment by county
We install the CityLux for homes on municipal water across ten counties. Each county page covers its own public water systems and what they treat:
HOW IT GOES
Test First.
Then Size the Unit.
What it costs depends on what your water test finds, so nothing is quoted before the test.
- 01
Test your water
We measure the hardness, the chlorine, and the chloramine at your tap, and look at what settles out of it.
- 02
Read the utility’s report
Your utility’s annual water quality report names its source and the disinfectant it runs. Bring it to the test.
- 03
Size the CityLux
The unit is sized to your hardness, your disinfectant, and how much water your household uses, and you get a clear quote.
- 04
Install
The CityLux goes in where the water line enters the house. It is one of our most straightforward installations, and same-day service is typically available.
A LITTLE CLARITY
City Water Questions.
Plain Answers.
Does city water need to be treated?
It is treated for safety at the plant, and it is safe to drink. What the plant doesn’t do is soften the water, take out the disinfectant it adds, or stop the grit the mains can pick up on the way to you. Treating at home is about those three: the scale, the chlorine taste and smell, and the sediment.
Do I need a water softener on city water?
It depends on how hard your water is, and a test gives the number. Few utilities in our region soften: EPA lists softening for 4 of the 84 systems serving the towns we cover. The CityLux is a water softener as well as a chlorine and chloramine filter, so on city water one unit handles both.
Can you remove chloramine from city water?
Yes. Chloramine doesn’t fade on standing or boil off, and ordinary carbon barely touches it. The CityLux uses catalytic carbon, which breaks the chlorine-ammonia bond given enough contact time. Your utility’s annual water quality report says whether it runs chloramine.
Why is there sediment in my city water?
The water usually leaves the plant clean. Hydrant flushing, a main break, or a sudden change in pressure can stir up the scale and rust that settle in older mains and send them to your taps. A micron filter at the point of entry catches the grit before it reaches your fixtures.
Do I need an iron filter or a UV lamp on city water?
Usually not. On most municipal supplies the plant takes care of iron and the rotten-egg smell, and the utility disinfects the water. Those systems are for homes on private wells.
How much does city water treatment cost?
It depends on what your water test finds: how hard the water is, which disinfectant your utility uses, and how much water your household goes through. We quote after the test, every line explained, and nothing is installed before you have seen the quote.
Talk with the Chatfield team.
(724) 588-2652A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE GOES A LONG WAY
Know Your Water.
WATER PROBLEMSChlorine taste on your city water.
Chlorine or chloramine, the EPA limits, and why a pitcher filter doesn’t get there.
WATER PROBLEMSDo you have hard water?
The scale on the kettle, what grains per gallon mean, and how hardness is measured.
WATER TREATMENTChlorine removal, up close.
How catalytic carbon takes the disinfectant and its byproducts out at the point of entry.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Treated at the Plant.
Finished at Your Door.
Call or fill out the form to schedule your water test. What it costs depends on what the test finds, and nothing is quoted before it.