Public water system · IA2258443
ActiveSpook Cave and Campground
At a glance
Spook Cave and Campground (PWSID IA2258443) is an active transient non-community water system in Clayton County, Iowa. It reports serving 118 people through 1 service connection. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
118
Service connections
1
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Spook Cave and Campground compare with other water systems in Clayton County?
By EPA's size categories, Spook Cave and Campground is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Clayton County has 45 active public water systems. Its population served is about 60% below the county average of 298 people per system, and accounts for 0.9% of the 13,403 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Iowa, the 1,828 active systems average 1,718 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Spook Cave and Campground is about 18% below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Iowa has 626 active transient non-community water systems, 34% 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 Spook Cave and Campground?
EPA lists Spook Cave and Campground 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. 28 of the 45 active systems in Clayton County (62%) are also privately owned.
Does Spook Cave and Campground have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between April 1994 and January 2026. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting, 2 monitoring, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (3 of them). EPA lists 5 as resolved, 2 as archived and 1 as unaddressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Archived |
| 2022-04-23 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2021-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2003-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1998-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 1994-04-01 | 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.
Spook Cave and Campground: frequently asked questions
Who runs Spook Cave and Campground?
Spook Cave and Campground (PWSID IA2258443) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does Spook Cave and Campground serve?
Spook Cave and Campground reports serving 118 people through 1 service connection in Clayton County, Iowa.
Where does Spook Cave and Campground 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 Spook Cave and Campground have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. 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 Spook Cave and Campground'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; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the IA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Spook Cave and Campground's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Spook Cave and Campground is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Clayton County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guttenberg Water Utility | Clayton | 1,817 | Community | Groundwater |
| Monona Municipal Water Dept | Clayton | 1,471 | Community | Groundwater |
| Elkader Muni Water Dept | Clayton | 1,219 | Community | Groundwater |
| Strawberry Point Water Supply | Clayton | 1,155 | Community | Groundwater |
| Edgewood Water Supply | Clayton | 939 | Community | Groundwater |
| Garnavillo Water Supply | Clayton | 763 | 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, “Spook Cave and Campground, PWSID IA2258443, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/spook-cave-and-campground-ia2258443 (data as of October 1, 2026).