Community Water System · PWS IA7707030
Altoona Water Supply
Operator location Altoona, Iowa - larger served population (> 3,309) at 19,565 people served; 124 SDWIS violations on record from groundwater sources.
- 19,565
- People served (this PWS)
- 124
- EPA violations (this PWS)
- 17
- Health-based (this PWS)
- No PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS)
Altoona Water Supply standing, high SDWIS violation third
19,565 people served (SDWIS) - larger served population (> 3,309). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 14% is middle-third health share (≤ 23%). UCMR5: UCMR5 tested, none detected. Population rank #2,769 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
Altoona Water Supply sits in the upper third of the sitemap cohort by violation count (124), so the tables below sample a dense compliance trail rather than a near-clean ledger. Population served is large (19,565; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 14% (middle-third health share (≤ 23%)). UCMR5 tested this system and reported no PFAS above the minimum reporting level.
- #2,769 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #32 of 545
- Population · IA
- 124
- Total EPA violations on record
- 14%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 6,692
- County
- Polk
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 17
- Monitoring Violations
- 53
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 0
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Radium (-226 and -228) | MR | 18 | 2010 |
| Nitrate | MR | 13 | 2011 |
| Combined Radium (-226 and -228) | MCL | 10 | 2001 |
| Radium-228 | MR | 6 | 1992 |
| Coliform (TCR) | MCL | 4 | 1992 |
| Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U | MR | 4 | 2016 |
| TTHM | MR | 4 | 2017 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MR | 4 | 2017 |
| Radium-226 | MR | 3 | 1992 |
| Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U | MCL | 3 | 2024 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 1 | 1992 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
Altoona Water Supply has 124 recorded EPA violations, 77% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 22% carry more. 14% of this system's own violations are health-based (17 of 124), and it ranks #2,769 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.
EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus
Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)
124 Higher than most more violations than 77% of 29,740 water systems
the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 0 of 174 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFNA | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 9/30/2024 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 9/30/2024 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 9/30/2024 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 9/30/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 9/30/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 9/30/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 9/30/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 9/30/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 9/30/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 9/30/2024 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 9/30/2024 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 9/30/2024 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 9/30/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 9/30/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
Population served record for Altoona Water Supply
EPA SDWIS lists 19,565 people served and 6,692 connections for this PWS, confirm the service-area footprint on the federal report before comparing to municipal census totals.
Sources: EPA SDWIS
Nationwide peers
124 violations · 19,565 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.
Cross-state systems with comparable violation load
Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.
Cross-state systems with similar served population
Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).
What to do with Altoona Water Supply
Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.
- See how every tracked system in Iowa compares on the same EPA violation measures. Iowa systems
- Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
- Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems
EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.