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Community Water System · PWS IA8218050

Buffalo Water Supply

Buffalo, Iowa 52728 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,176 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,176
People served
68
EPA violations
8
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 68 drinking-water violations at Buffalo Water Supply, 12% of them health-based - below the Iowa per-system average.

68
Total EPA violations on record
12%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,176
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Buffalo Water Supply

Buffalo Water Supply is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,176 residents in Buffalo, Iowa (Scott County) through 450 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 68 total violations for this system , of which 8 (12%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 42 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2007.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 8 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%).

Buffalo Water Supply's 68 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
1,176
Total Violations
68
Health-Based Violations
8
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
450
County
Scott
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
8
Monitoring Violations
42
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 8 1994
Fluoride MR 5 2007
Selenium MR 5 1988
Arsenic MR 4 1988
Barium MR 4 1988
Nitrate MR 4 1988
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 1990
Cadmium MR 4 1988
Mercury MR 4 1988
Chromium MR 4 1988
Nitrite MR 4 1997

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 Buffalo Water Supply.

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 IA8218050 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
2007 Fluoride MR 5 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1025
1997 Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1041
1994 Coliform (TCR) MCL 8 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 3100
1990 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 5000
1988 Selenium MR 5 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1045
1988 Arsenic MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1005
1988 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1010
1988 Nitrate MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1040
1988 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1015
1988 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1035
1988 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / IA8218050 / 1020

How Buffalo Water Supply Compares

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

Metric Buffalo Water Supply Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 68 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 8 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 1,176 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 Buffalo Water Supply water safe to drink? ▼
Buffalo Water Supply (PWS ID: IA8218050) has 68 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,176 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Buffalo Water Supply serve? ▼
Buffalo Water Supply serves 1,176 people in Buffalo, Iowa. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 450 service connections.
What type of violations does Buffalo Water Supply have? ▼
Buffalo Water Supply has 68 total violations: 8 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 42 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Buffalo Water Supply water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Buffalo Water Supply under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Buffalo Water Supply use? ▼
Buffalo Water Supply 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.