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Community Water System · PWS IA2324016

Charlotte Water Works

Maquoketa, Iowa 52060 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 401 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

401
People served
106
EPA violations
31
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 106 drinking-water violations at Charlotte Water Works, 29% of them health-based - above the Iowa per-system average.

106
Total EPA violations on record
29%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
401
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Charlotte Water Works

Charlotte Water Works is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 401 residents in Maquoketa, Iowa (Clinton County) through 166 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 106 total violations for this system , of which 31 (29%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 38 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2011.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Combined Radium (-226 and -228), recorded in 20 violations (MCL, health-based). 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%).

Charlotte Water Works's 106 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
401
Total Violations
106
Health-Based Violations
31
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
166
County
Clinton
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
31
Monitoring Violations
38
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 20 2011
Coliform (TCR) MCL 11 1994
Nitrate MR 8 1997
Arsenic MR 4 1988
Fluoride MR 4 1988
Mercury MR 4 1988
Cadmium MR 4 1988
Barium MR 4 1988
Selenium MR 4 1988
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 1990
Chromium MR 2 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 Charlotte 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 IA2324016 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
2011 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 20 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 4010
1997 Nitrate MR 8 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1040
1994 Coliform (TCR) MCL 11 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 3100
1990 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 5000
1988 Arsenic MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1005
1988 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1025
1988 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1035
1988 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1015
1988 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1010
1988 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1045
1988 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / IA2324016 / 1020

How Charlotte Water Works Compares

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

Metric Charlotte Water Works Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 106 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 31 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 401 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 Charlotte Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Charlotte Water Works (PWS ID: IA2324016) has 106 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 401 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Charlotte Water Works serve? ▼
Charlotte Water Works serves 401 people in Maquoketa, Iowa. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 166 service connections.
What type of violations does Charlotte Water Works have? ▼
Charlotte Water Works has 106 total violations: 31 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 38 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Charlotte Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Charlotte Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Charlotte Water Works use? ▼
Charlotte 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.