Public water system · IA1694000
ActiveWest Branch Water Works
At a glance
West Branch Water Works (PWSID IA1694000) is an active community water system in Cedar County, Iowa. It reports serving 2,509 people through 1,050 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, 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 July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,509
Service connections
1,050
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does West Branch Water Works compare with other water systems in Cedar County?
By EPA's size categories, West Branch Water Works is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Cedar County has 28 active public water systems, and West Branch Water Works is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 5 times the county average of 504 people per system, and accounts for 18% of the 14,112 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 West Branch Water Works is about 63% 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 West Branch Water Works?
EPA lists West Branch Water Works 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. 9 of the 28 active systems in Cedar County (32%) are also owned by a local government.
Does West Branch Water Works have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between April 1988 and July 2025. By type: 12 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) (2 of them). EPA lists 8 as resolved and 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Archived |
| 2025-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Archived |
| 2024-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Archived |
| 1990-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Mercurycode 1035 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Fluoridecode 1025 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chromiumcode 1020 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Arseniccode 1005 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Bariumcode 1010 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Cadmiumcode 1015 | No | Resolved |
| 1988-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | 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.
West Branch Water Works: frequently asked questions
Who runs West Branch Water Works?
West Branch Water Works (PWSID IA1694000) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IA state drinking water program.
How many people does West Branch Water Works serve?
West Branch Water Works reports serving 2,509 people through 1,050 service connections in Cedar County, Iowa.
Where does West Branch Water Works 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 West Branch Water Works 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 July 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 West Branch Water Works' 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 July 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 West Branch Water Works' water quality report?
As a community water system, West Branch Water Works 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 Cedar County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton Water Supply | Cedar | 3,149 | Community | Groundwater |
| Durant Water Supply | Cedar | 1,871 | Community | Groundwater |
| Clarence Water Supply | Cedar | 1,039 | Community | Groundwater |
| Mechanicsville Water Dept | Cedar | 1,020 | Community | Groundwater |
| Lowden Water Supply | Cedar | 807 | Community | Groundwater |
| Stanwood Water Supply | Cedar | 637 | 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, “West Branch Water Works, PWSID IA1694000, Iowa”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/iowa/west-branch-water-works-ia1694000 (data as of October 1, 2026).