Is Waterloo Water Works Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Black Hawk

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2015-11-01 → 2015-11-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2015-11-01 → 2015-11-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2015-11-01 → 2015-11-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2015-11-01 → 2015-11-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-08-01 → 2005-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-08-01 → 2005-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-08-01 → 2005-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-08-01 → 2005-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1992-02-01 → 1992-02-29
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1992-02-01 → 1992-02-29

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFHXS	0.0130 µg/L	4/18	2024
PFBS	0.0032 µg/L	2/18	2024
Pfpea	0.0048 µg/L	2/18	2024
Pfhxa	0.0031 µg/L	1/18	2024

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	8467.5 µg/L 85% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 10700 µg/L	436/446	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	291.5 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 2230 µg/L	186/192	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	9.12 µg/L 61% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 688 µg/L	107/192	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	1000 µg/L 25% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1100 µg/L	39/40	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	3.745 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.64 µg/L	31/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	5.88 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10.5 µg/L	31/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	2.755 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.82 µg/L	31/32	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	12.75 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 16.6 µg/L	31/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	1.665 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.71 µg/L	19/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0018 mg/L 12% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	19/19	LCR	2025
Bromoform	0.9725 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.01 µg/L	16/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	1.32 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.65 µg/L	13/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Tetrachloroethylene	2.46 µg/L 49% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 2.77 µg/L	11/29	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	20 µg/L No EPA limit set	10/18	UCMR-5	2024
Barium	220.2 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 227 µg/L	9/9	SYR4	2012
Selenium	3.68 µg/L 7.4% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L worst single sample: 4.1 µg/L	8/9	SYR4	2012
Dichloroacetic Acid	3.2425 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.39 µg/L	6/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	9.81 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 11.6 µg/L	5/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroethylene	2.557 µg/L 51% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 2.68 µg/L	4/24	SYR4	2012–2018
1,1,1-Trichloroethane	1.056 µg/L 0.5% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L worst single sample: 1.11 µg/L	3/26	SYR4	2012–2018
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene	0.9950 µg/L 1.4% of the EPA limit 70 µg/L worst single sample: 1.03 µg/L	3/23	SYR4	2012–2018
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	6.8055 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 6.85 µg/L	2/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Antimony, Total	0.5000 µg/L 8.3% of the EPA limit 6 µg/L	1/9	SYR4	2012
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	2.9 pCi/L 58% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/10	SYR4	2012–2018
Monobromoacetic Acid	1.57 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/32	SYR4	2012–2019

61 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaArsenicAtrazineBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneChlorobenzeneCadmiumCarbon TetrachlorideChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHfpo-DaLassoMercuryNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaPfbaPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneThallium, TotalTolueneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, TotalO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: WATERLOO WATER WORKS
Phone: 319-232-6280
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Waterloo Water Works

Is Waterloo Water Works tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 29 contaminants in Waterloo Water Works's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Waterloo Water Works's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Copper, Lead, Fluoride, Bromodichloromethane, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Waterloo Water Works serve?

Waterloo Water Works reports serving 69,504 people in Iowa, per its EPA record.

Has Waterloo Water Works had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 59 violations on file for Waterloo Water Works, of which 12 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.