Is Osceola, IA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Osceola has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Iowa’s records: Osceola Water Works.
Osceola Water Works, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.0 ppb, above the health goal. 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 Osceola’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Osceola Water Works
Iowa · serves 5,503 people · about 180 in Osceola
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.0 ppb, above the health goal.
6 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Sirwa #3 (Osceola)
Iowa · serves 4,080 people · under 100 in Osceola
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Osceola Water Works’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Osceola
The 3 labs Iowa certifies closest to Osceola, 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 49 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Microbac Laboratories - Centerville
Centerville, IA · about 50 miles
Certified for bacteria
Microbac Laboratories - Newton
Newton, IA · about 60 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
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 IowaZIP codes in Osceola
Which ZIP codes are in Osceola: 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.
What to do next
- Read Osceola Water Works’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water