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Community Water System · PWS IA0603072

Atkins Municipal Water Works

Atkins, Iowa 52206 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,056 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,056
People served
93
EPA violations
21
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 93 drinking-water violations at Atkins Municipal Water Works, 23% of them health-based - above the Iowa per-system average.

93
Total EPA violations on record
23%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,056
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Atkins Municipal Water Works

Atkins Municipal Water Works is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,056 residents in Atkins, Iowa (Benton County) through 776 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 93 total violations for this system , of which 21 (23%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 67 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Nitrite, recorded in 28 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Iowa, EPA tracks 1,795 public water systems serving 3,114,444 people, with 138,271 cumulative violations and 27,946 health-based violations on record. About 95% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 77 violations. Statewide, 127 of 152 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (83.6%).

Atkins Municipal Water Works's 93 violations sit above the Iowa average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
2,056
Total Violations
93
Health-Based Violations
21
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
776
County
Benton
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
21
Monitoring Violations
67
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrite MR 28 2019
TTHM MCL 12 2021
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 9 1989
Nitrite MCL 8 2005
Nitrate MR 5 1992
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 2000
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2020
TTHM MR 4 2020
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 2016
Cadmium MR 2 1985
Barium MR 1 1985
Fluoride MR 1 1985
Mercury MR 1 1985
Selenium MR 1 1985
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 1 1980
Chromium MR 1 1985
Arsenic MR 1 1985
Lead and Copper Rule MR 1 1988

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Atkins Municipal Water Works.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID IA0603072 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Iowa Drinking Water Authority

Iowa's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find IA regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2021 TTHM MCL 12 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 2950
2020 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 2456
2020 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 2950
2019 Nitrite MR 28 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1041
2016 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 3100
2005 Nitrite MCL 8 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1041
2000 Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 2982
1992 Nitrate MR 5 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1040
1989 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 9 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 4000
1988 Lead and Copper Rule MR 1 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 5000
1985 Cadmium MR 2 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1015
1985 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1010
1985 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1025
1985 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1035
1985 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / IA0603072 / 1045

How Atkins Municipal Water Works Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Atkins Municipal Water Works Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 93 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 21 15.6 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 83.6% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,056 1,735 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,795 regulated public water systems in Iowa.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Atkins Municipal Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Atkins Municipal Water Works (PWS ID: IA0603072) has 93 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,056 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Atkins Municipal Water Works serve? ▼
Atkins Municipal Water Works serves 2,056 people in Atkins, Iowa. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 776 service connections.
What type of violations does Atkins Municipal Water Works have? ▼
Atkins Municipal Water Works has 93 total violations: 21 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 67 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Atkins Municipal Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Atkins Municipal Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Atkins Municipal Water Works use? ▼
Atkins Municipal Water Works uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.