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Community Water System · PWS IA9408087

Barnum Water Supply

Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 175 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

175
People served
51
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 51 drinking-water violations at Barnum Water Supply - below the Iowa per-system average.

51
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
175
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Barnum Water Supply

Barnum Water Supply is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 175 residents in Fort Dodge, Iowa (Webster County) through 77 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 51 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) 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 1989.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Arsenic, recorded in 5 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%).

Barnum Water Supply's 51 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
175
Total Violations
51
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
77
County
Webster
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
42
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MR 5 1986
Cadmium MR 5 1986
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 1989
Chromium MR 5 1986
Selenium MR 5 1986
Fluoride MR 5 1986
Nitrate MR 5 1986
Barium MR 5 1986
Mercury MR 2 1986

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 Barnum 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 IA9408087 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
1989 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 5000
1986 Arsenic MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1005
1986 Cadmium MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1015
1986 Chromium MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1020
1986 Selenium MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1045
1986 Fluoride MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1025
1986 Nitrate MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1040
1986 Barium MR 5 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1010
1986 Mercury MR 2 SDWIS / IA9408087 / 1035

How Barnum Water Supply Compares

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

Metric Barnum Water Supply Iowa avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 51 77 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 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 175 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 Barnum Water Supply water safe to drink? ▼
Barnum Water Supply (PWS ID: IA9408087) has 51 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 175 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Barnum Water Supply serve? ▼
Barnum Water Supply serves 175 people in Fort Dodge, Iowa. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 77 service connections.
What type of violations does Barnum Water Supply have? ▼
Barnum Water Supply has 51 total violations: 0 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 Barnum Water Supply water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Barnum Water Supply under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Barnum Water Supply use? ▼
Barnum 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.