Public water system · IA5225079
ActiveIowa City Water Department
At a glance
Iowa City Water Department (PWSID IA5225079) is an active community water system in Johnson County, Iowa. It reports serving 68,753 people through 28,765 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2013.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
68,753
Service connections
28,765
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Iowa City Water Department compare with other water systems in Johnson County?
By EPA's size categories, Iowa City Water Department is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Johnson County has 125 active public water systems, and Iowa City Water Department is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 50 times the county average of 1,384 people per system, and accounts for 40% of the 172,955 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 Iowa City Water Department is about 10 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. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 24 Iowa systems (1.3%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Iowa City Water Department?
EPA lists Iowa City Water Department 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. 12 of the 125 active systems in Johnson County (9.6%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Iowa City Water Department have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2013. The violations listed here began between July 1990 and February 2013. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (2 of them). EPA lists 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 1992-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1992-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethanecode 2985 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloropropanecode 2983 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chlorobenzenecode 2989 | No | Resolved |
| 1990-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | 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.
Iowa City Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Iowa City Water Department?
Iowa City Water Department (PWSID IA5225079) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does Iowa City Water Department serve?
Iowa City Water Department reports serving 68,753 people through 28,765 service connections in Johnson County, Iowa.
Where does Iowa City Water Department get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Iowa City Water Department have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2013. 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 Iowa City Water Department'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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2013. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Iowa City Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Iowa City Water Department 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 Johnson County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Water System | Johnson | 26,684 | Community | Surface water |
| North Liberty Water Supply | Johnson | 23,276 | Community | Groundwater |
| Coralville Muni Water System | Johnson | 22,318 | Community | Groundwater |
| Tiffin Water Supply | Johnson | 7,577 | Community | Groundwater |
| Solon Water Dept | Johnson | 3,018 | Community | Groundwater |
| Lone Tree Muni Water System | Johnson | 1,357 | 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, “Iowa City Water Department, PWSID IA5225079, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/iowa-city-water-department-ia5225079 (data as of October 1, 2026).