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Community Water System · PWS IA8590041

Zearing Water Department

Zearing, Iowa 50278 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 528 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

528
People served
97
EPA violations
7
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 97 drinking-water violations at Zearing Water Department, 7% of them health-based - above the Iowa per-system average.

97
Total EPA violations on record
7%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
528
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Zearing Water Department

Zearing Water Department is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 528 residents in Zearing, Iowa (Story County) through 269 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 97 total violations for this system , of which 7 (7%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 77 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Arsenic, recorded in 13 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%).

Zearing Water Department's 97 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
528
Total Violations
97
Health-Based Violations
7
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
269
County
Story
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
77
Treatment Tech Violations
7

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MR 13 2002
Coliform (TCR) MR 12 2003
TTHM MR 12 2023
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 12 2023
Nitrate MR 9 2003
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2024
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2018
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 4 2016
Epichlorohydrin TT 3 2016
Public Notice Other 3 2024
Barium MR 2 1988
Chromium MR 2 1988
Mercury MR 2 1988
Selenium MR 2 1988
Cadmium MR 2 1988
Fluoride MR 1 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 Zearing Water Department.

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 IA8590041 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
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 8000
2024 Public Notice Other 3 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 7500
2023 TTHM MR 12 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 2950
2023 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 12 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 2456
2018 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 5000
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 4 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 8000
2016 Epichlorohydrin TT 3 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 2257
2003 Coliform (TCR) MR 12 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 3100
2003 Nitrate MR 9 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1040
2002 Arsenic MR 13 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1005
1988 Barium MR 2 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1010
1988 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1020
1988 Mercury MR 2 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1035
1988 Selenium MR 2 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1045
1988 Cadmium MR 2 SDWIS / IA8590041 / 1015

How Zearing Water Department Compares

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

Metric Zearing Water Department Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 97 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 7 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 528 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 Zearing Water Department water safe to drink? ▼
Zearing Water Department (PWS ID: IA8590041) has 97 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 528 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Zearing Water Department serve? ▼
Zearing Water Department serves 528 people in Zearing, Iowa. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 269 service connections.
What type of violations does Zearing Water Department have? ▼
Zearing Water Department has 97 total violations: 7 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 77 monitoring/reporting violations, and 7 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Zearing Water Department water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Zearing Water Department under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Zearing Water Department use? ▼
Zearing Water Department 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.