PlainWater
States → Iowa

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS IA9260528

Highland High School

Muscatine, Iowa 52761 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 405 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

405
People served
96
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 96 drinking-water violations at Highland High School, 4% of them health-based - above the Iowa per-system average.

96
Total EPA violations on record
4%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
405
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Highland High School

Highland High School is a public/private-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 405 residents in Muscatine, Iowa (Washington County) through 2 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 96 total violations for this system , of which 4 (4%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 87 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 28 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%).

Highland High School's 96 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
405
Total Violations
96
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Public/Private
Connections
2
County
Washington
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
87
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 28 2006
Arsenic MR 8 2017
Fluoride MR 8 2005
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 2018
TTHM MR 5 2018
Cadmium MR 4 1996
Antimony, Total MR 4 1996
Selenium MR 4 1996
Arsenic MCL 4 2013
Thallium, Total MR 4 1996
Chromium MR 4 1996
Mercury MR 4 1996
Nitrate MR 4 2004
Barium MR 4 1996

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 Highland High School.

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 IA9260528 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
2018 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 2456
2018 TTHM MR 5 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 2950
2017 Arsenic MR 8 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1005
2013 Arsenic MCL 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1005
2006 Coliform (TCR) MR 28 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 3100
2005 Fluoride MR 8 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1025
2004 Nitrate MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1040
1996 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1015
1996 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1074
1996 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1045
1996 Thallium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1085
1996 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1020
1996 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1035
1996 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / IA9260528 / 1010

How Highland High School Compares

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

Metric Highland High School Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 96 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 405 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 Highland High School water safe to drink? ▼
Highland High School (PWS ID: IA9260528) has 96 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 405 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Highland High School serve? ▼
Highland High School serves 405 people in Muscatine, Iowa. It is a Public/Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 2 service connections.
What type of violations does Highland High School have? ▼
Highland High School has 96 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 87 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Highland High School water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Highland High School under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Highland High School use? ▼
Highland High School uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.