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Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS IA1716418

Bell Harbor

Clear Lake, Iowa 50428 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 352 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

352
People served
99
EPA violations
5
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 99 drinking-water violations at Bell Harbor, 5% of them health-based - above the Iowa per-system average.

99
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
352
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Bell Harbor

Bell Harbor is a private-owned transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 352 residents in Clear Lake, Iowa (Cerro Gordo County) through 145 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 99 total violations for this system , of which 5 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 70 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 22 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%).

Bell Harbor's 99 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
352
Total Violations
99
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
145
County
Cerro Gordo
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
70
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 22 2015
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 2022
Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 2003
Arsenic MR 4 1992
Barium MR 4 1992
Antimony, Total MR 4 1992
Nitrate MR 4 2010
Selenium MR 4 1992
Thallium, Total MR 4 1992
Cadmium MR 4 1992
Chromium MR 4 1992
Fluoride MR 4 1992
Mercury MR 4 1992

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 Bell Harbor.

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 IA1716418 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
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 8 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 8000
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 22 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 3100
2010 Nitrate MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1040
2003 Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 3100
1992 Arsenic MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1005
1992 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1010
1992 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1074
1992 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1045
1992 Thallium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1085
1992 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1015
1992 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1020
1992 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1025
1992 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / IA1716418 / 1035

How Bell Harbor Compares

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

Metric Bell Harbor Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 99 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 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 352 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 Bell Harbor water safe to drink? ▼
Bell Harbor (PWS ID: IA1716418) has 99 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 352 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Bell Harbor serve? ▼
Bell Harbor serves 352 people in Clear Lake, Iowa. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 145 service connections.
What type of violations does Bell Harbor have? ▼
Bell Harbor has 99 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 70 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Bell Harbor water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Bell Harbor under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Bell Harbor use? ▼
Bell Harbor uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Transient Non-Community Water System, serving transient populations.
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.