Public water system · IA7177701
ActiveOsceola Rural Water System-South
At a glance
Osceola Rural Water System-South (PWSID IA7177701) is an active community water system in Osceola County, Iowa. It reports serving 2,112 people through 845 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,112
Service connections
845
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Osceola Rural Water System-South compare with other water systems in Osceola County?
By EPA's size categories, Osceola Rural Water System-South is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Osceola County has 7 active public water systems, and Osceola Rural Water System-South is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 12% above the county average of 1,889 people per system, and accounts for 16% of the 13,222 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 Osceola Rural Water System-South is well below 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 Osceola Rural Water System-South?
EPA lists Osceola Rural Water System-South 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 7 active systems in Osceola County (29%) are also privately owned.
Does Osceola Rural Water System-South have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017. The violations listed here began between July 1982 and July 2017. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting and 2 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (2 of them). EPA lists 4 as resolved and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1995-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1982-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 5 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.
Osceola Rural Water System-South: frequently asked questions
Who runs Osceola Rural Water System-South?
Osceola Rural Water System-South (PWSID IA7177701) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does Osceola Rural Water System-South serve?
Osceola Rural Water System-South reports serving 2,112 people through 845 service connections in Osceola County, Iowa.
Where does Osceola Rural Water System-South 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 Osceola Rural Water System-South have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017. 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 Osceola Rural Water System-South'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 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2017. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Osceola Rural Water System-South's water quality report?
As a community water system, Osceola Rural Water System-South 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 Osceola County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola Rural Water System-North | Osceola | 7,002 | Community | Groundwater |
| Sibley Public Water Supply | Osceola | 2,860 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Ashton Municipal Water Department | Osceola | 456 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Ocheyedan Water Works | Osceola | 439 | Community | Groundwater |
| Melvin Waterworks | Osceola | 202 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Harris Water Supply | Osceola | 151 | Community | Purchased 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, “Osceola Rural Water System-South, PWSID IA7177701, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/osceola-rural-water-system-south-ia7177701 (data as of October 1, 2026).