Water System Report IA

Washington Water Department

EPA ID: IA9271068 ยท 7,362 people served ยท 1 ZIP code

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Washington Water Department (IA9271068): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. Water monitoring for Washington Water Department: no violations on record, 7,362 residents.

Data: EPA SDWIS

7,362
People Served
1
ZIP Code Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Groundwater
Water Source
Below the reporting limit
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2023-12-31)
Zone 1
County Radon Potential ยท High
0
Contaminants Flagged
$156K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Washington Water Department Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$63,232
Median Household Income
9,072
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
40%
Disadvantaged Population
50th
Poverty Percentile
80th
Energy Burden Percentile
81%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Washington Water Department have a median household income of $63,232 and about 9,072 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 81% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 40% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this service area are designated disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST, 2022 version). Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.

๐Ÿ’ง Where Does Your Water Come From?

Groundwater

Washington Water Department's water is classified in EPA records as a groundwater source. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table.

Moderate Risk
Source Contamination Risk
30th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
20th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

69 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Galvanized Steel or Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
0 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Moderate Wear
Decay Status
Installed 100% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

PFAS in ZIP Codes This System Serves

PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been reported in samples from water systems associated with the ZIP codes in this system's area. These results can come from other water systems serving the same ZIP codes; check the UCMR5 section for any results reported for this system. 1 detection recorded.

Health concern: Exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with some cancers and with immune and developmental effects; effects differ by compound. Many PFAS break down very slowly in the environment.
Recommended filter: An activated carbon filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 or a reverse osmosis system certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for the PFAS listed in its certification. Find the right filter โ†’

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in Iowa

2 violations
0 violations
Creston Water Supply
7,536 people
0 violations
0 violations
Southeast Polk Rwd
7,565 people
0 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

PFAS Treatment
PFAS Treatment $500
Total Estimated Cost $500

Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

PFAS Exposure - Lifetime Cost $1,000

Per person (emerging research est.)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$165
10 years
$330
20 years
$660

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $500 (one-time) vs. $330 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

System Overview

Washington Water Department (EPA ID: IA9271068) is a community water system in Iowa that serves approximately 7,362 people from groundwater sources.

This system serves ZIP code 52353 in Washington.

Violation History

No accepted violation records in the 2021-2026 window - The accepted EPA ECHO 2026Q2 snapshot contains zero violation records for this system whose record year falls from 2021 through 2026, inclusive. This is not a tap-water safety guarantee.

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
Below the reporting limit No 2023-12-31

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

1 of 1 ZIP records with known zones is in EPA Radon Zone 1.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by IA or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Washington Water Department (IA9271068) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Washington Water Department water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Washington Water Department in the inclusive 2021-2026 record-year window. This is a compliance-record finding, not a guarantee about water at a specific tap.

How many people does Washington Water Department serve?

Washington Water Department serves approximately 7,362 people across 1 ZIP code in Iowa.

Where does Washington Water Department get its water?

The primary water source is groundwater.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: No PFAS Reported Above Reporting Levels

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were reported above UCMR5 minimum reporting levels.

Samples collected
58

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) โ€” per-system federal sampling, 2023โ€“2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program โ†’

Understand PFAS health context and filtration โ†’

How Water Systems Appear in Rankings

Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use a water filter? ▼
No EPA drinking-water violations since 2021 are on record for Washington Water Department; this page does not establish contaminant levels at your tap. That is a compliance record, not a guarantee about the water at your tap; a certified filter can target a specific contaminant you are concerned about.
How many people does Washington Water Department serve? ▼
Washington Water Department serves approximately 7,362 people with drinking water across 1 ZIP code.
What is Washington Water Department's water source? ▼
Washington Water Department draws water from groundwater sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Washington Water Department's water? ▼
The reported 90th-percentile lead result is below the laboratory reporting limit, not a measured zero; EPA's health goal for lead is zero. This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Washington Water Department? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Washington Water Department have a median household income of $63,232 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 40% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this area are designated disadvantaged (average across mapped ZIP codes), which may indicate greater vulnerability to environmental health risks.
Where does Washington Water Department get its water? ▼
Washington Water Department's water is classified in EPA records as a groundwater source. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table. Based on the available data, the modeled source-contamination category is moderate; test local water to assess actual exposure.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Washington Water Department Water Quality Report, IA. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ia9271068/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-ia9271068,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Washington Water Department Water Quality Report, IA}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ia9271068/}
}
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