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Is Buffalo, IA tap water safe?

5 utilities serve Buffalo, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and Iowa’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

None of the 5 utilities serving Buffalo has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Iowa’s records.

Iowa - American WTR Co - Davenport, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 4.1 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.

The water from Iowa - American WTR Co - Davenport is very hard, 239 mg/L (14 grains per gallon). How Iowa’s water compares.

A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Buffalo’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Iowa - American WTR Co - Davenport’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.

Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Buffalo

A utility tests the water it sends out. A test of your own tap shows what your pipes add, and on a private well it is the only test there is. It takes a lab Iowa certifies.

The 3 labs Iowa certifies closest to Buffalo, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Quad Cities Metallurgical Laboratory

    Davenport, IA · about 9 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate

    (563) 386-7827

  • Ion Environmental Solutions

    Muscatine, IA · about 17 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate

    (563) 299-2214

  • QC Analytical Services

    Le Claire, IA · about 20 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics

    (563) 289-3373

State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa: Through the Grants-to-Counties program, private well owners in participating counties can have their water tested for total coliform bacteria and nitrate. Start with the county sanitarian at your county health department. No cost in a participating county. The Grants-to-Counties Program, State Hygienic Lab at the University of Iowa.

All 36 certified labs for Iowa

ZIP codes in Buffalo

Which ZIP codes are in Buffalo: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Iowa DNR, laboratories certified for drinking water; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.

Near Buffalo

Towns nearby with a page of their own.

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