Fort Wayne, Indiana — the City of Three Rivers — sits where the St. Marys and St. Joseph Rivers merge to form the Maumee River, which eventually drains into Lake Erie. Fort Wayne City Utilities serves about 260,000 people using a mix of surface water from the St. Joseph River and groundwater from deep wells.
The dual-source approach gives Fort Wayne resilience that single-source cities lack. But both sources have their own challenges.
PFAS: An Indiana Hotspot
Fort Wayne has emerged as one of Indiana’s PFAS contamination hotspots, alongside neighboring Elkhart which faces its own industrial groundwater challenges. Multiple sources contribute: the former Baer Field (now Fort Wayne International Airport) used AFFF for firefighting training, and military operations at the former Fort Wayne Air National Guard station added to the contamination.
PFAS has been detected in groundwater wells throughout the area. Some municipal monitoring wells have shown levels above the EPA’s MCLs, prompting the utility to take certain wells offline or install treatment. Indiana has been developing state PFAS response plans, but as of now the federal limits govern.
Fort Wayne City Utilities has been proactive about testing and transparent about results. The utility has invested in granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment at affected well sites. But PFAS contamination in groundwater is persistent and can spread, meaning ongoing monitoring and treatment will be necessary for years.
Agricultural Runoff and the Maumee Watershed
The Maumee River watershed is the largest Great Lakes tributary watershed — over 6,500 square miles of predominantly agricultural land in Indiana and Ohio. The fertilizer and manure from this enormous agricultural area make the Maumee the single largest source of phosphorus flowing into Lake Erie, driving the harmful algal blooms that have plagued the western basin since the mid-2000s.
Fort Wayne’s drinking water intake on the St. Joseph River is upstream of the Maumee’s worst agricultural loading. But the St. Joseph River has its own agricultural watershed, and nutrient levels, pesticides, and sediment from farming operations are factors the treatment plant must manage.
Atrazine and other agricultural herbicides have been detected in the river at low levels, particularly during spring application and runoff season. Fort Wayne’s treatment plant uses activated carbon when needed to address these.
Industrial Legacy
Fort Wayne was a manufacturing center through the 20th century — auto parts, electrical equipment, and wire and cable production. Several former industrial sites have documented soil and groundwater contamination with solvents (TCE, PCE), heavy metals, and petroleum compounds.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management oversees cleanup at these sites. The groundwater contamination mostly affects shallow aquifer zones — Fort Wayne’s production wells draw from deeper formations with better natural protection. But as with any contamination, vertical migration over time is possible.
Combined Sewer Overflows
Fort Wayne has a combined sewer system that discharges untreated or partially treated sewage into the rivers during heavy rain. The city has been under a federal consent decree to reduce CSOs and has undertaken a massive infrastructure project — including tunnel construction and treatment capacity expansion — costing over $1 billion.
The CSO discharges don’t directly affect drinking water (the intake is upstream of most discharge points), but they degrade river water quality and highlight the overall infrastructure challenges facing the utility.
Lead and Infrastructure
Fort Wayne’s housing stock includes substantial pre-1950 construction, meaning lead service lines and lead solder are present in the distribution system. The utility uses corrosion control treatment and has been conducting lead service line inventory under the revised Lead and Copper Rule.
Testing results have generally shown 90th percentile lead levels below the EPA action level, but individual homes in older neighborhoods (particularly south-central Fort Wayne and some near-northeast areas) can have elevated lead.
What Residents Can Do
- Ask about your water source. Fort Wayne blends surface water and groundwater. The mix affects which contaminants are most relevant.
- Filter your water. Carbon filtration handles PFAS, taste, and agricultural chemicals. For lead concerns, use NSF/ANSI 53 certified.
- Test for lead. Contact City Utilities for testing or independent options, especially in pre-1970 housing.
- Private well owners in Allen County: Test for PFAS (especially near the airport), nitrates, and bacteria.
- Support the CSO fix. The infrastructure investment is expensive but necessary. Clean rivers support clean drinking water.
If you’re concerned about your water quality, a certified water treatment professional can test your water and recommend the right solution.
See also our coverage of Akron water quality and Dayton water quality.
Sources: Fort Wayne City Utilities, Indiana DEM, EPA SDWIS, USGS, Allen County Health Department