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Community Water System · PWS IA9400801

Central Water Works

Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 27 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

27
People served
223
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 223 drinking-water violations at Central Water Works, 4% of them health-based - above the Iowa per-system average.

223
Total EPA violations on record
4%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
27
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Central Water Works

Central Water Works is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 27 residents in Fort Dodge, Iowa (Webster County) through 17 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 223 total violations for this system , of which 10 (4%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 180 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2019.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 22 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%).

Central Water Works's 223 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
27
Total Violations
223
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
17
County
Webster
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
180
Treatment Tech Violations
5

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 22 2009
Fluoride MR 9 2009
Nitrate MR 6 1996
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 5 2019
Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 1993
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 2006
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 2006
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2006
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 2006
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 2006
Styrene MR 4 2006
Vinyl chloride MR 4 2006
Atrazine MR 4 2006
2,4-D MR 4 2006
Dalapon MR 4 2006
Simazine MR 4 2006
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 4 2002
Arsenic MR 4 2001
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 2006
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 2006
Picloram MR 4 2006
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 2006
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 2006
2,4,5-TP MR 4 2006
Benzene MR 4 2006
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2006
Trichloroethylene MR 4 2006
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 4 2006
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 4 2006
LASSO MR 4 2006

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 Central 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 IA9400801 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
2019 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 5 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 8000
2019 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 7000
2009 Coliform (TCR) MR 22 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 3100
2009 Fluoride MR 9 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 1025
2006 Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2982
2006 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2969
2006 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2979
2006 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2983
2006 CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2989
2006 Styrene MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2996
2006 Vinyl chloride MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2976
2006 Atrazine MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2050
2006 2,4-D MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2105
2006 Dalapon MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2031
2006 Simazine MR 4 SDWIS / IA9400801 / 2037

How Central Water Works Compares

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

Metric Central Water Works Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 223 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 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 27 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 Central Water Works water safe to drink? ▼
Central Water Works (PWS ID: IA9400801) has 223 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 27 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Central Water Works serve? ▼
Central Water Works serves 27 people in Fort Dodge, Iowa. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 17 service connections.
What type of violations does Central Water Works have? ▼
Central Water Works has 223 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 180 monitoring/reporting violations, and 5 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Central Water Works water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Central Water Works under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Central Water Works use? ▼
Central 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.

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.