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Community Water System · PWS IA4201001

Ackley Municipal Water Works

Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,599 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,599
People served
31
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 31 drinking-water violations at Ackley Municipal Water Works, 13% of them health-based - below the Iowa per-system average.

31
Total EPA violations on record
13%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,599
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Ackley Municipal Water Works

Ackley Municipal Water Works is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,599 residents in Marshalltown, Iowa (Hardin County) through 820 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 31 total violations for this system , of which 4 (13%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 18 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 Nitrate, recorded in 6 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%).

Ackley Municipal Water Works's 31 violations sit below 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
1,599
Total Violations
31
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
820
County
Hardin
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
18
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrate MR 6 2022
TTHM MR 4 2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2019
Asbestos MR 4 2009
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 1997
Groundwater Rule Other 2 2020

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 Ackley 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 IA4201001 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 Nitrate MR 6 SDWIS / IA4201001 / 1040
2020 Groundwater Rule Other 2 SDWIS / IA4201001 / 0700
2019 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / IA4201001 / 2950
2019 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / IA4201001 / 2456
2009 Asbestos MR 4 SDWIS / IA4201001 / 1094
1997 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / IA4201001 / 3100

How Ackley Municipal Water Works Compares

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

Metric Ackley Municipal Water Works Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 31 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 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 1,599 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 Ackley Municipal Water Works water safe to drink?
Ackley Municipal Water Works (PWS ID: IA4201001) has 31 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,599 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Ackley Municipal Water Works serve?
Ackley Municipal Water Works serves 1,599 people in Marshalltown, Iowa. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 820 service connections.
What type of violations does Ackley Municipal Water Works have?
Ackley Municipal Water Works has 31 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 18 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Ackley Municipal Water Works water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Ackley Municipal Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Ackley Municipal Water Works use?
Ackley 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.
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.