Public water system · IA7707030
ActiveAltoona Water Supply
At a glance
Altoona Water Supply (PWSID IA7707030) is an active community water system in Polk County, Iowa. It reports serving 19,565 people through 6,692 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
19,565
Service connections
6,692
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Altoona Water Supply compare with other water systems in Polk County?
By EPA's size categories, Altoona Water Supply is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Polk County has 38 active public water systems, and Altoona Water Supply is the 6th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 52% above the county average of 12,857 people per system, and accounts for 4% of the 488,556 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Iowa, the 1,828 active systems average 1,718 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Altoona Water Supply is about 192% above that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Iowa has 1,084 active community water systems, 59% of the state's 1,828 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,502 Iowa systems (82%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Altoona Water Supply?
EPA lists Altoona Water Supply as owned by a local government. The IA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 16 of the 38 active systems in Polk County (42%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Altoona Water Supply have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between July 2001 and July 2025. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting and 2 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Combined Radium (-226 and -228) (4 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Archived |
| 2017-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Altoona Water Supply: frequently asked questions
Who runs Altoona Water Supply?
Altoona Water Supply (PWSID IA7707030) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does Altoona Water Supply serve?
Altoona Water Supply reports serving 19,565 people through 6,692 service connections in Polk County, Iowa.
Where does Altoona Water Supply get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Altoona Water Supply have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Altoona Water Supply's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Altoona Water Supply's water quality report?
As a community water system, Altoona Water Supply must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Polk County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines Water Works | Polk | 246,055 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Ankeny, City of | Polk | 76,207 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Urbandale Water Utility | Polk | 45,605 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Johnston Municipal Water Supply | Polk | 24,897 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Clive Water Department | Polk | 20,277 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Grimes Water Supply | Polk | 17,809 | Community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Altoona Water Supply, PWSID IA7707030, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/altoona-water-supply-ia7707030 (data as of October 1, 2026).