Overview
EWG's drinking water quality report for Iowa shows results of tests conducted by the water utilities in Iowa and provided to EWG by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Large utilities in Iowa
Below are utilities in Iowa serving over 10,000 people, listed alphabetically.
| Utility | Location | People Served |
|---|
Utilities that accumulated/accrued the most violation points as of July 2021 to June 2024 in Iowa
The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database collects compliance and enforcement-related information for drinking water utilities nationwide. ECHO water quality violation scores take into account federal health-based water quality standards, as well as monitoring, reporting and other drinking water quality requirements. Points are accrued based on specific problems at the utility - violations of health-based drinking water standards receive more points than monitoring and reporting violations - and the length of time until the violations were corrected.
| Utility | Location | People Served | Violation Points |
|---|
Large utilities that accumulated/accrued the most violation points as of July 2021 to June 2024 in Iowa
The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database collects compliance and enforcement-related information for drinking water utilities nationwide. ECHO water quality violation scores take into account federal health-based water quality standards, as well as monitoring, reporting and other drinking water quality requirements. Points are accrued based on specific problems at the utility - violations of health-based drinking water standards receive more points than monitoring and reporting violations - and the length of time until the violations were corrected.
| Utility | Location | People Served | Violation Points |
|---|
| Oskaloosa Municipal Water Department | Oskaloosa, IA | 11,558 | 2 |
| Indianola Water Supply | Indianola, IA | 15,833 | 1 |
| Mason City Water Department | Mason City, IA | 27,338 | 1 |
| Sioux City Water Supply | Sioux City, IA | 85,791 | 1 |
Contaminants found in Iowa above health guidelines
| Found above health guidelines | Found | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contaminant | # of Utilities | People Served | # of Utilities | People Served |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | 770 | 2,639,653 | 777 | 2,652,084 | ||
| Bromodichloromethane | 744 | 2,591,703 | 751 | 2,619,980 | ||
| Chloroform | 720 | 2,500,382 | 822 | 2,722,662 | ||
| Dichloroacetic acid | 684 | 2,500,318 | 722 | 2,673,174 | ||
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 653 | 2,410,993 | 658 | 2,423,580 | ||
| Dibromochloromethane | 682 | 2,398,430 | 697 | 2,418,612 | ||
| Trichloroacetic acid | 631 | 2,159,063 | 666 | 2,317,717 | ||
| Dibromoacetic acid | 600 | 2,157,386 | 603 | 2,202,948 | ||
| Nitrate | 494 | 2,058,624 | 813 | 2,536,335 | ||
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) | 194 | 1,945,433 | 195 | 1,965,924 | ||
| Chromium (hexavalent) | 140 | 1,616,980 | 187 | 1,820,694 | ||
| Radium, combined (-226 & -228) | 661 | 1,429,009 | 670 | 1,478,624 | ||
| Bromoform | 242 | 1,086,973 | 471 | 1,932,603 | ||
| Arsenic | 388 | 949,428 | 388 | 949,428 | ||
| Total PFOS and PFOA | 19 | 515,666 | 19 | 515,666 | ||
| Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) | 17 | 437,868 | 20 | 536,334 | ||
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | 18 | 381,410 | 18 | 381,410 | ||
| Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) | 22 | 348,179 | 22 | 348,179 | ||
| Chlorite | 16 | 198,996 | 16 | 198,996 | ||
| Uranium, combined (pCi/L) | 36 | 154,001 | 45 | 166,879 | ||
| Atrazine | 37 | 111,947 | 72 | 978,682 | ||
| Perfluoropentane sulfonic acid (PFPeS) | 2 | 99,834 | 4 | 104,239 | ||
| Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) | 5 | 75,130 | 5 | 75,130 | ||
| Carbon tetrachloride | 10 | 49,207 | 13 | 56,264 | ||
| Manganese | 37 | 29,970 | 455 | 2,299,623 | ||
| Vinyl chloride | 14 | 22,987 | 16 | 27,529 | ||
| Cadmium | 11 | 13,217 | 188 | 299,592 | ||
| Bromochloromethane | 3 | 2,715 | 6 | 140,560 | ||
| Styrene | 1 | 1,683 | 2 | 4,832 | ||
| Thallium | 2 | 803 | 119 | 192,798 | ||
| Chlorate | 1 | 504 | 152 | 1,406,382 | ||
| Simazine | 1 | 337 | 2 | 2,852 | ||
| Trichloroethylene | 1 | 50 | 8 | 80,690 |
Contaminants found in Iowa above legal limits
| Contaminant | # of Utilities | People Served |
|---|
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