Independence Waterworks
What EPA’s and Wisconsin’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
- 1,500 people
- Connections
- 562
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Independence, WI
- County
- Trempealeau
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Varies by source
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the limit’s level with no violation recorded. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5), above the limit’s level, no violation. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What was found
Haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic and chromium (total): Wisconsin’s own results, samples taken from March 4, 2020 to July 16, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the limit’s level, no violation recorded1
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
88.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026 average: 22.4 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 88.6 ppb, in 2025, above EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 22.4 ppb. EPA judges this limit on running averages at each sampling point, and recorded no violation for haloacetic acids (HAA5) at this utility since 2020. Results like these with no violation often include water sampled before treatment or blending; the utility’s annual report says what reaches the tap. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 42.5 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Below EPA’s limits3
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
37.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026 average: 15.4 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 37.5 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 15.4 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 34.4 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.47ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 0.47 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.47 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.48 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 0.47 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.47 ppm, in 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.011ppm
Highest sample; found in 5 of 14
2026 average: 0.006 ppm
The highest sample, in 2026, was 0.011 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its two samples averaged 0.006 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.03 ppm, in 2015.
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)
- Lead
Hardness
Soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 49 to 75 mg/L (2.9 to 4.4 grains per gallon), across 2 sampling points, 2017 to 2026.
Hardness is calcium and magnesium. EPA sets no limit for it: it shows up as scale on fixtures and in water heaters, and as soap that won’t lather. USGS calls water above 60 mg/L moderately hard, above 120 hard and above 180 very hard.
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 2 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic and chromium (total) results here are Wisconsin’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Independence Waterworks’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has 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; Wisconsin’s results run from March 4, 2020 to July 16, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Wisconsin certifies closest to the area Independence Waterworks serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Buffalo County Department of Health and Human Services
Alma, WI · about 16 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eau Claire City-County Health Department
Eau Claire, WI · about 30 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals
Jackson County Public Health Water Lab
Black River Falls, WI · about 36 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene: Well water test kits ordered by phone and shipped free; you pay to mail the sample back, and the lab bills you after testing. Tests run from bacteria alone to a homeowner package covering bacteria, nitrate, fluoride, metals, hardness, volatile organic compounds and atrazine. Bacteria is $35, nitrate $35, lead $38, and the homeowner package $450, as of July 1, 2026. Public Environmental and Water Testing Prices, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.
All 156 certified labs for WisconsinSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Drinking Water Program, results from Jan. 2, 2020 to Oct. 5, 2026, read Oct. 8, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Wisconsin DNR and DATCP, certified and approved drinking water laboratories, read Oct. 10, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Hardness: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Drinking Water Program, results from April 4, 2017 to March 3, 2026, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID WI6620276. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on Haloacetic acids (HAA5)What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Get the utility’s own reportIndependence Waterworks must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.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
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded