Forever Chemicals
Perhaps you are an Iowa veteran who served in-state and now, settled back home, you want to know plainly what the records say about the water around you. That deserves a straight answer. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources oversees public drinking water statewide and administers the federal PFAS standards those systems must meet. Everything below comes from public monitoring records, not our interpretation, and it will not declare any single home fine or not. Still, the figures are worth reviewing when evaluating an address, and they point you to the Iowa DNR, the state office that keeps watch on this so you do not have to chase it alone.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 50 public water systems in Iowa for 29 PFAS compounds; 6 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 12% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Iowa address.
Iowa's drinking water falls under the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR), whose water-supply program administers the federal standards public systems are held to. Iowa is among the states that largely rely on the federal limits the agency administers rather than writing its own enforceable PFAS numbers, which means the April 2024 EPA rule is what backs up an Iowan's tap. That arrangement tends to make the federal limits the working baseline, with the DNR serving as the state office that runs testing, reporting, and follow-up where PFAS shows up.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Iowaserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
50
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
6
Systems with any PFAS detected
12% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
3
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
0
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
These are the Iowautilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| RATHBUN REG WTR ASSN (BURLINGTON) | 2 | 0.02 | Below MCL |
| BURLINGTON MUNICIPAL WATERWORKS | 2 | 0.02 | Below MCL |
| RATHBUN REG WATER ASSN (FT MADISON) | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| GARDEN GROVE WATER SUPPLY | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| CENTERVILLE MUNICIPAL WATERWORKS | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| WAVERLY WATER DEPARTMENT | 1 | 0 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Iowa water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
Looking at a specific Iowacity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
Before the numbers below carry more than they can, know their edges. The federal monitoring round (UCMR5) checked 29 PFAS compounds at public systems generally serving more than 3,300 people, over roughly 2021 to 2024. A detection from that window is a snapshot in time, not a live reading of today's tap, and the testing skipped private wells and many small rural systems outright. In a state as rural as Iowa, where private wells are common, that gap genuinely matters, and the Iowa DNR's water-supply program is the place to ask about private-well testing guidance. Read the figures above as a map of where monitoring happened, not a verdict on any one address. The blizzard of monitoring acronyms is its own peculiar pastime, but the records under it are plain public documents.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 50 public water systems in Iowa; 6 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Iowa is among the states that largely rely on the federal limits its environmental agency administers rather than adopting its own enforceable PFAS numbers. Residents on public systems are covered by the April 2024 federal rule, which the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) carries out.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR), through its water-supply program, administers federal drinking-water standards for public systems, including EPA's April 2024 PFAS limits. The agency tends to act as the state administrator of those federal rules rather than the author of separate state PFAS standards.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) is the state's environmental agency. Its water-supply program oversees public water systems and administers the federal standards that Iowa tap water is measured against.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Iowa address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report