PFAS · Iowa
PFAS in Iowa drinking water: EPA’s final survey results
EPA’s national PFAS survey (UCMR 5) tested 151 of the community water systems that serve homes in Iowa. 32 found at least one of 29 PFAS above the laboratory reporting level, and 0 had a PFOA or PFOS sampling-location yearly average at or above EPA’s 4.0 ppt limit. Samples were collected from January 2023 to December 2025.
Data as of EPA UCMR 5 final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026) · EPA SDWIS 2026Q2 (file dated Jul 9, 2026). How we build these pages
PFBA was the compound Iowa community systems found most often: 24 of 151 tested systems measured it above the reporting level. Across the country, 35% of surveyed community systems found at least one PFAS; in Iowa the share is 21%. The largest Iowa system with a detection, Iowa-American Wtr Co-Davenport, serves 147,720 people and found 2 of the 29 compounds.
Which PFAS were found most often in Iowa
Each row counts the Iowa community water systems where that compound was measured above the reporting level at least once. A detection is a measurement, not a violation: most of these compounds have no federal limit.
| Compound | Systems where found | Systems tested | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFBA | 24 | 151 | 16% |
| PFBS | 12 | 151 | 8% |
| PFPeA | 9 | 151 | 6% |
| PFHxS | 7 | 151 | 5% |
| PFHxA | 6 | 151 | 4% |
| PFOA | 6 | 151 | 4% |
| PFHpA | 3 | 151 | 2% |
| PFOS | 3 | 151 | 2% |
| PFMBA | 1 | 151 | 1% |
| PFMPA | 1 | 151 | 1% |
| PFPeS | 1 | 151 | 1% |
Iowa systems with the most PFAS found
The 10 surveyed community water systems that found the most different PFAS, with PFOA and PFOS compared to EPA’s 4.0 ppt limits on the yearly average at the highest sampling location. Larger systems come first when counts tie.
| Water system | People served | PFAS found (of 29) | PFOA | PFOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City Water Supply IA9778054 | 85,791 | 9 | 2.9 ppt below the MCL | 2.1 ppt below the MCL |
| Muscatine Power & Water IA7048001 | 25,516 | 7 | 3.6 ppt below the MCL | 2.3 ppt below the MCL |
| Waverly Water Department IA0990085 | 10,394 | 6 | 3.6 ppt below the MCL | — not detected above the reporting level |
| Iowa-American Wtr Co-Clinton District IA2326048 | 24,769 | 5 | — not detected above the reporting level | — not detected above the reporting level |
| West Burlington Muni. Water Supply IA2985002 | 3,728 | 5 | 2.3 ppt below the MCL | — not detected above the reporting level |
| Waterloo Water Works IA0790074 | 69,504 | 4 | — not detected above the reporting level | — not detected above the reporting level |
| Burlington Municipal Waterworks IA2909053 | 26,015 | 3 | — not detected above the reporting level | — not detected above the reporting level |
| Hiawatha Water Dept IA5735045 | 7,183 | 3 | — not detected above the reporting level | — not detected above the reporting level |
| Urban Bluffs - North IA7820701 | 1,558 | 3 | — not detected above the reporting level | — not detected above the reporting level |
| Iowa-American Wtr Co-Davenport IA8222001 | 147,720 | 2 | — not compared: the monitoring set is incomplete | — not detected above the reporting level |
Counties with the most systems that found PFAS
- Des Moines County 3 of 3 surveyed systems
- Pottawattamie County 2 of 4 surveyed systems
- Lee County 2 of 3 surveyed systems
- Clarke County 2 of 3 surveyed systems
- Dickinson County 2 of 2 surveyed systems
- Polk County 1 of 11 surveyed systems
- Linn County 1 of 4 surveyed systems
- Scott County 1 of 2 surveyed systems