WATER TREATMENT · 53 MIN FROM OUR GREENVILLE OFFICE
Franklin’s city water is groundwater from two well fields, Elk Street and Barrett Flats, and EPA lists just three steps for it: chlorine, a polyphosphate corrosion inhibitor and 4-log treatment of viruses. Anything beyond that is decided at your tap.
Serving our communities since 1967
USGS sampled Venango County wells between 1928 and 2023. That shows what is common here, and your own water test sets the size of the system.
Schedule a water test- Moderately hardMedian 3.9 gpg; 43% of 7 wells hard or very hardThe softener
- Iron43% of 7 wells above 0.3 mg/L; median 0.1 mg/LThe iron system
- Manganese40% of 5 wells above 0.05 mg/LThe iron system
- pHMedian pH 6.3; 60% of 5 wells below 6.5Blue-green stains
- Town waterGeneral Authority of Franklin: about 9,096 people, its own wellsWater softeners
- Not on recordBacteria, nitrate, PFAS, arsenicWater testing
- 7 wellsIn the USGS record for Venango County. Each well counts once, as the median of its samples.
- 530 wellsDomestic wells on file within 5 miles of Franklin, a median 102 feet deep.
- 53 minFrom our Greenville office by road. Same crews, same drive, for the whole area.
- WHAT YOUR TEST ADDS
- Your well’s numbers, not the county’s
- Bacteria and nitrate, which the record never covers
- Which equipment your water needs, and in what order
WHAT WE INSTALL IN FRANKLIN
The Equipment Franklin
Water Tends to Need.
Chatfield Water Systems is one line, with one system per problem. Your water test decides which ones you need and in what order; the county record shows which are likely.
- MODERATELY HARD AT THE MEDIAN
Water softeners
43% of sampled Venango County wells were hard or very hard, at a median of 3.9 grains per gallon. Your softener is sized to your own test.
EXPLORE - 43% OF WELLS ABOVE THE IRON LINE
Iron & manganese removal
43% of sampled wells were above 0.3 mg/L of iron and 40% above the manganese line. The FerronX goes in at the point of entry, ahead of the softener.
EXPLORE - FIRST, EVERY TIME
A water test
Every system above starts with a test of your well or your tap water, from our Greenville office, about 53 minutes from Franklin. What it finds decides which equipment you need and the order it goes in.
EXPLORE
WATER TREATMENT IN FRANKLIN
What Franklin Water Says,
and What We Do About It.
Elk Street and Barrett Flats well fields
The General Authority of Franklin serves 9,096 people through 4,260 connections from 10 active wells. Four are on Elk Street (Wells #2, #3, #4 and #13) and six are at Barrett Flats, and EPA lists two treatment plants. Every source on the list is a well.
The treatment list is short. Chlorine is added for disinfection, and the system is listed for 4-log treatment of viruses, meaning its chlorine contact is set up to inactivate viruses. A polyphosphate inhibitor is fed to protect the pipes. Iron removal, softening and chloramine are not on the list, so the disinfectant you meet at the tap is chlorine, which a CityLux removes, and any hardness or iron is best checked with a water test.
Private wells and Cuyahoga Group rock
For homes on wells, PaGWIS holds 530 depth logs within 5 miles. The median is 102 feet, and the middle half spans 65 to 140. Rock sits at a median 19 feet, and the rock mapped at the town center is the Cuyahoga Group’s siltstone, shale and sandstone, from the Mississippian. The 496 yield logs have a median of 16 gallons per minute, 10 to 20 for the middle half.
None of that measures the water itself. What a well here needs comes from a sample: a test at the tap, then a certified lab for bacteria and nitrate. Rust-colored staining points toward the FerronX Iron System. A sulfur smell points toward the CataPure Carbon System with chlorine or peroxide injection, and cloudy or gritty water toward the Alluvium Sediment System.
Four lead rounds on the city system
EPA’s lead record for the General Authority system shows four rounds. The 90th percentile was 0.002 mg/L for the round ending 2016, 0 mg/L in 2019, 0.00138 mg/L in 2022 and 0 mg/L in 2025. Every one is under the 0.015 mg/L action level. The polyphosphate inhibitor on the list is the system’s corrosion control, added to protect pipes.
A 90th percentile is a system number built from many homes. Your own result depends on your service line and fixtures, so a certified-lab lead test is the way to know. If one finds lead, the Atlas Filtri Oasis Sanic reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink is the usual answer. It also covers other contaminants such as nitrate, arsenic and PFAS.
The Venango County record
USGS samples from Venango County wells, taken 1928–2023: 43% of wells hard or very hard, 43% over the iron line, 60% below pH 6.5. The full record, measure by measure, is on the Venango County water treatment page.
From our Greenville office
Franklin is about 53 minutes and 35 miles by road from our Greenville office, and the municipalities around it get the same crews and the same drive: Sugarcreek, Sandycreek Township, Frenchcreek Township, Polk, Victory Township, Cranberry Township, Oil City, Utica, Cooperstown, Canal Township. Nearby on the map:
Source: Water quality: USGS National Water Information System results for Venango County wells, served through the Water Quality Portal, sampled between 1928 and 2023, retrieved 2026-09-14. Each well counts once, as the median of its samples. The 0.3 mg/L iron and 0.05 mg/L manganese marks are EPA secondary standards, which are aesthetic limits, not health limits. Well depth: USGS groundwater site inventory for Venango County, 13 wells with a recorded depth, retrieved 2026-09-14.
A LITTLE CLARITY
Franklin Questions.
Straight Answers.
Is Franklin’s water treated with chloramine?
EPA’s list for the city system doesn’t include chloramine. Its disinfectant is chlorine, which is what you may taste at the tap. A CityLux handles chlorine for the whole house, from the shower to the kitchen, and it removes chloramine as well. The authority’s water report has the rest of the system’s details.
What does 4-log treatment of viruses mean on Franklin’s listing?
It is a disinfection standard for groundwater systems: the chlorine dose and contact time are set to inactivate viruses to a high degree before water reaches the first customer. It is a plant-level measure. A private well has nothing comparable unless the owner adds it, which is where a Luminor UV after filtration comes in.
Does Franklin city water need a softener?
EPA’s list shows no softening step for the city system, so the answer comes from a hardness reading at your own tap, which the water test measures. If the number and the scale on your fixtures justify it, the CityLux softens and takes out chlorine in one unit. If not, you skip softening.
Do you test water in Franklin?
Yes. Chatfield’s water test and consultation cover Franklin from our Greenville office, about 53 minutes away by road. The test measures what is in your water and at what level, and any equipment it points to is quoted after the results.
Talk with the Chatfield team.
(724) 588-2652A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE GOES A LONG WAY
Know Your Water.
WATER PROBLEMSDo you have hard water?
The signs, the county hardness record, and how to confirm it.
WATER PROBLEMSOrange stains from your well water.
Read the stain, the county iron record, and what to note before you call.
WATER PROBLEMSBacteria in your water.
What a coliform result means, what to do now, and which treatment follows.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Better Water in Franklin
Starts with a Test.
Call or fill out the form to schedule your water test. We’ll come out from Greenville, measure what is in the water, and recommend the equipment that fits.