Is Johnston, IA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 5 utilities serving Johnston has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Iowa’s records: Des Moines Water Works.
Johnston Municipal Water Supply, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 33 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. A health benchmark is a level EPA screens with, not a legal limit.
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 Johnston’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Johnston Municipal Water Supply
Iowa · serves 24,897 people · about 16,800 in Johnston
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 33 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Grimes Water Supply
Iowa · serves 17,997 people · about 660 in Johnston
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 22 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Xenia RWD (Des Moines)
Iowa · serves 12,860 people · about 550 in Johnston
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.7 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Des Moines Water Works
Iowa · serves 246,055 people · under 100 in Johnston
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 28 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Camp Dodge Water Supply
Iowa · serves 1,169 people · under 100 in Johnston
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.6 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Johnston
The 3 labs Iowa certifies closest to Johnston, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
State Hygienic Laboratory - Ankeny
Ankeny, IA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Microbac Laboratories - Newton
Newton, IA · about 38 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
AgSource
Ellsworth, IA · about 44 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics
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 IowaWhich ZIP codes are in Johnston: 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 Johnston
Other towns in Dallas County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Johnston Municipal Water Supply’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water