Public water system · IA6273901
ActiveMahaska Rural Water System, Inc..
At a glance
Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. (PWSID IA6273901) is an active community water system in Mahaska County, Iowa. It reports serving 9,818 people through 4,530 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
9,818
Service connections
4,530
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. compare with other water systems in Mahaska County?
By EPA's size categories, Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Mahaska County has 4 active public water systems, and Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 63% above the county average of 6,040 people per system, and accounts for 41% of the 24,159 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 Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. is about 46% 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 Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc..?
EPA lists Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. as privately owned. 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. 2 of the 4 active systems in Mahaska County (50%) are also privately owned.
Does Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016. The violations listed here began between September 1980 and April 2016. By type: 4 monitoring and reporting, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (3 of them). EPA lists 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-04-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) · code 2A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2015-08-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2009-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Asbestoscode 1094 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-12-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1995-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1980-09-30 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Archived |
| 1980-09-30 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 7 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.
Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc..: frequently asked questions
Who runs Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc..?
Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. (PWSID IA6273901) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. serve?
Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. reports serving 9,818 people through 4,530 service connections in Mahaska County, Iowa.
Where does Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. 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 Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016. 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 Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc..'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 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2016. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc..'s water quality report?
As a community water system, Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.. 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 Mahaska County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskaloosa Municipal Water Dept | Mahaska | 12,808 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Mahaska Rural Water (New Sharon) | Mahaska | 1,368 | Community | Groundwater |
| Oak Creek MHP | Mahaska | 165 | Community | Purchased groundwater under influence |
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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, “Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc.., PWSID IA6273901, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/mahaska-rural-water-system-inc-ia6273901 (data as of October 1, 2026).