Is Ottumwa Water Works Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Wapello

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	2009-03-01 → 2009-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-03-01 → 2009-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-03-01 → 2009-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-03-01 → 2009-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-03-01 → 2009-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-01-01 → 2009-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-01-01 → 2009-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-01-01 → 2009-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-01-01 → 2009-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2003-01-01 → 2003-01-31

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
Bromodichloromethane	14.265 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15.2 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	63.63 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 92.2 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	5.193 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.58 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	78.23 µg/L 98% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 105 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	7.6285 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10.3 µg/L	128/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	26.54 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 37.6 µg/L	127/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	41.4 µg/L 69% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 86.1 µg/L	126/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	9000 µg/L 90% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 9700 µg/L	124/124	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.414 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.1 µg/L	99/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	700 µg/L 18% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 3500 µg/L	99/99	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	22.89 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 38 µg/L	99/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	33.08 µg/L 2.5% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 108 µg/L	84/90	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	13.91 µg/L 93% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 98.6 µg/L	34/90	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	0.00080 mg/L 5.3% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	14/14	LCR	2025
Bromoform	0.8060 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 0.8100 µg/L	9/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	3.5325 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.54 µg/L	6/128	SYR4	2012–2019
Atrazine	0.8880 µg/L 30% of the EPA limit 3 µg/L worst single sample: 0.9300 µg/L	5/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	48 µg/L No EPA limit set	3/4	UCMR-5	2023
Arsenic	4 µg/L 40% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/1	SYR4	2012
Barium	80.4 µg/L 4% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L	1/1	SYR4	2012

72 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAsbestosBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneChlorobenzeneCadmiumCarbon TetrachlorideChromiumCombined Radium (-226 And -228)DichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHfpo-DaLassoMercuryNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitritePfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: OTTUMWA WATER WORKS
Phone: 641-684-4606
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Ottumwa Water Works

Is Ottumwa Water Works tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 20 contaminants in Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa Water Works's water?

EPA monitoring detected Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane, TTHM, Trichloroacetic Acid, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Ottumwa Water Works serve?

Ottumwa Water Works reports serving 25,529 people in Iowa, per its EPA record.

Has Ottumwa Water Works had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 70 violations on file for Ottumwa Water Works, of which 17 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.