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Is Iowa City, IA tap water safe?

15 utilities serve Iowa City, 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

4 of the 15 utilities serving Iowa City have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Iowa’s records: University Water System, Sunrise Village Mobile Home Pk, Kesslers Homeowners Assn and 1 more.

Iowa City Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 47 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.

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 Iowa City’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

5 more utilities in Iowa City

By EPA’s estimate, each serves fewer people in Iowa City than those above.

What handles it

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

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Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Iowa City

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 Iowa City, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • State Hygienic Laboratory - Coralville

    Coralville, IA · about 4 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity

    (319) 335-4500

  • Linn County Public Health Department

    Cedar Rapids, IA · about 23 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate

    (319) 892-6000

  • Ion Environmental Solutions

    Muscatine, IA · about 28 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate

    (563) 299-2214

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 Iowa City

Which ZIP codes are in Iowa City: 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 Iowa City

Towns nearby with a page of their own.

What to do next