MO American Ironton
What EPA’s and CDC’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 1,460 people
- Connections
- 782
- Water source
- Surface water
- Based in
- Ironton, MO
- County
- Iron
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
2 results are above EPA’s legal limit, and 1 more is above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), above the legal limit. 13 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2013 to 2025.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate and arsenic: Missouri’s yearly averages per water system, as CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network publishes them, 2020 to 2023, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Chromium (total) and fluoride: EPA’s compliance monitoring file, samples taken from Feb. 22, 2012 to Feb. 11, 2019. Newer results are in the utility’s annual water quality report.
Above the legal limit2
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
80.9ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
Averaged by year, the highest was 80.9 ppb, in 2023, above EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA recorded violations for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 69.7 ppb, in 2015, and EPA recorded a violation in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
49.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
Averaged by year, the highest was 49.2 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA judges this limit at each sampling point, and recorded a violation for haloacetic acids (HAA5) at this utility in 2024. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 44.9 ppb, in 2012.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Above the health goal1
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
1.0ppb
90th percentile, 2023 to 2025
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.0 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits1
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.25ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.25 ppm, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.31 ppm, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Fluoride
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claims: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Lead Reduction
For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Other certifiers’ wording: VOC Reduction
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Lead Reduction
For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
At the tap, or for the whole house?
Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
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
Aquasana Clean Water Machine (AQ-CWM2)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System (87340)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Ninja HydraSense Countertop Water Filtration System (WF1001)
Countertop
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
PUR PLUS Faucet Filtration System, Horizontal (PFM400H)
Faucet mount
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Brita Elite Water Filter Faucet System (SAFF-100/FF-100)
Faucet mount
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026 | 91.5 UG/L | Archived |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026 | 98 UG/L | Archived |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 95.4 UG/L | Archived |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 84.5 UG/L | Archived |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024 | 82 UG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | 83.2 UG/L | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 61.5 UG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 88.3 UG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 85.9 UG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2022 | 88 UG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022 | 81 UG/L | Resolved |
| Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule | Treatment was not run by a certified operator as required.EPA: Treatment Technique No Certif. Operator | Feb. 1, 2022 | — | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 | 87 UG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate and arsenic results here are Missouri’s yearly averages as CDC publishes them, from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Chromium (total) and fluoride come from EPA’s file alone, which ends in 2019. MO American Ironton’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has newer results for those and the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; CDC’s yearly averages for Missouri cover 2020 to 2023; EPA’s compliance samples are from Feb. 22, 2012 to Feb. 11, 2019.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Missouri certifies closest to the area MO American Ironton serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eastern Missouri Water Lab
Lonedell, MO · about 46 miles
Certified for bacteria
Perfect Water Testing
Salem, MO · about 49 miles
Certified for bacteria
Environmental Analysis South
Jackson, MO · about 55 miles
Certified for bacteria
Missouri State Public Health Laboratory: Coliform and E. coli testing for private wells and other private drinking water sources, in kits from your local public health agency. A free state courier can carry the sample to the lab overnight. The handling fee is $10, by check or money order. Private Drinking Water Bacteriological Testing, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
All 64 certified labs for MissouriSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, yearly averages Missouri supplied to CDC, 2020 to 2023, read Oct. 8, 2026. TapBuff’s comparisons with EPA’s limits are its own, not CDC’s or Missouri’s.
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Missouri DNR, certified microbiological and chemical laboratories, read Oct. 10, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID MO4010402. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 3 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- Get the utility’s own reportMO American Ironton must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show, and has newer results than EPA’s national file for the ones here that come from it.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs