Public water system · IA8503039
ActiveAmes Water Treatment Plant
At a glance
Ames Water Treatment Plant (PWSID IA8503039) is an active community water system in Story County, Iowa. It reports serving 55,177 people through 19,337 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
55,177
Service connections
19,337
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Ames Water Treatment Plant compare with other water systems in Story County?
By EPA's size categories, Ames Water Treatment Plant is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Story County has 20 active public water systems, and Ames Water Treatment Plant is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 9.1 times the county average of 6,045 people per system, and accounts for 46% of the 120,903 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 Ames Water Treatment Plant is about 8.2 times 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 Ames Water Treatment Plant?
EPA lists Ames Water Treatment Plant 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. 14 of the 20 active systems in Story County (70%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Ames Water Treatment Plant have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 2025. The violations listed here began between July 1987 and September 2025. By type: 7 monitoring and reporting and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (2 of them). EPA lists 8 as resolved. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Vinyl chloridecode 2976 | No | Resolved |
| 1994-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1987-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
All 8 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.
Ames Water Treatment Plant: frequently asked questions
Who runs Ames Water Treatment Plant?
Ames Water Treatment Plant (PWSID IA8503039) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does Ames Water Treatment Plant serve?
Ames Water Treatment Plant reports serving 55,177 people through 19,337 service connections in Story County, Iowa.
Where does Ames Water Treatment Plant 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 Ames Water Treatment Plant have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 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 Ames Water Treatment Plant'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. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in September 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 Ames Water Treatment Plant's water quality report?
As a community water system, Ames Water Treatment Plant 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 Story County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isu | Story | 42,000 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Nevada Water Supply | Story | 6,925 | Community | Groundwater |
| Huxley Waterworks Dept | Story | 4,244 | Community | Groundwater |
| Story City Water Dept | Story | 3,357 | Community | Groundwater |
| Slater Muni Water Dept | Story | 1,548 | Community | Purchased groundwater under influence |
| Roland Water Supply | Story | 1,394 | Community | Groundwater |
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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, “Ames Water Treatment Plant, PWSID IA8503039, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/ames-water-treatment-plant-ia8503039 (data as of October 1, 2026).