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Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Iowa Water Quality: 37 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 37 cities in Iowa, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Iowa's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 1 city has a past health-based violation on record.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

6of 37 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Iowa →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

0of 37 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 1 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

Iowa cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    AnkenyANKENY, CITY OF · IA7709053
    Report →
  2. 2
    West Des MoinesWEST DES MOINES WATER WORKS · IA7785007
    Report →
  3. 3
    UrbandaleURBANDALE WATER UTILITY · IA7780042
    Report →
  4. 4
    WaukeeWAUKEE WATER SUPPLY · IA2573080
    Report →
  5. 5
    Johnston SupplyJOHNSTON MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY · IA7740011
    Report →
  6. 6
    North LibertyNORTH LIBERTY WATER SUPPLY · IA5252072
    Report →
  7. 7
    CliveCLIVE WATER DEPARTMENT · IA7720051
    Report →
  8. 8
    GrimesGRIMES WATER SUPPLY · IA7736011
    Report →
  9. 9
    NewtonNEWTON WATER SUPPLY · IA5059064
    Report →
  10. 10
    IndianolaINDIANOLA WATER SUPPLY · IA9133075
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 37 scored cities.

See all 37 in the table

37 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Ankeny
    ANKENY, CITY OF · PWSID IA7709053 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  2. 2West Des Moines
    WEST DES MOINES WATER WORKS · PWSID IA7785007 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  3. 3Urbandale
    URBANDALE WATER UTILITY · PWSID IA7780042 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  4. 4Waukee
    WAUKEE WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA2573080 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  5. 5Johnston Supply
    JOHNSTON MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA7740011 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  6. 6North Liberty
    NORTH LIBERTY WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA5252072 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  7. 7Clive
    CLIVE WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID IA7720051 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  8. 8Grimes
    GRIMES WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA7736011 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  9. 9Newton
    NEWTON WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA5059064 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  10. 10Indianola
    INDIANOLA WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA9133075 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  11. 11Norwalk
    NORWALK WATER SUPPLY · PWSID IA9164078 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  12. 12Spencer
    SPENCER MUNICIPAL WATER UTILITY · PWSID IA2171071 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
Showing 12 of 37.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works. See how Iowa compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in Iowa

Counties

Iowa counties

21 counties with city reports
Show all 21 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 37 Iowa city reports, A–Z
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Questions

Iowa water, frequently asked

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How does Iowa tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 37 cities in Iowa by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Ankeny's main water system: ANKENY, CITY OF · PWSID IA7709053 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Iowa cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

6 cities of 37 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Sioux City (PFHxS 35 ng/L), Muscatine Power (PFOA 7.2 ng/L), Waverly (PFOA 7.2 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 7.

Is there lead in Iowa tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 23 of 37 Iowa cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

Have Iowa water systems had drinking-water violations?

1 city in Iowa has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

Does Iowa have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 1 Iowa city on record; the hardest is Iowa City at 6.5 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error