Utility-reported hardness
Unavailable
Ask your provider or test your tap
Local water dashboard
Official source aggregationWater quality in Altoona, IA 50009
Regional hardness evidence, possible serving systems, EPA compliance history, and the measurements that are—and are not—available for Polk County.
Historical measurement record needs context
- Largest possible serving system
- Altoona Water Supply
- Source water
- Groundwater + Surface water
- County
- Polk County
- Profile updated
Your tap water
What does the utility report?
Match the utility name to your water bill. These results describe the utility’s water, not a test at your home. A ZIP can include several water systems.
Utility hardness unavailable in this index
Nearby river or groundwater samples cannot tell us the hardness coming out of your tap. Ask your water provider for total hardness as CaCO₃, or test it at home.
Find an official utility report →At a glance
What the current records say
EPA quarter 2026Q2
All possible systems
No active flag
0 active health-based records
Measurements by utility
Each result belongs to a specific system.
Utility match
2 systems
Serves 19,565 people system-wide
Match the name on your water bill
Your utility’s measurements and compliance records
These are possible serving systems. A record for one system does not apply to every home in this ZIP. Confirm your provider before interpreting a measurement or notice. Federal records can lag current utility notices.
EPA snapshot: 2026Q2. Historical window begins Jan 1, 2021.
Altoona Water Supply
IA7707030 · Groundwater · 19,565 people served system-wide
The system names this served city; Census place overlap links the city to this ZCTA.
No active health-based record in this imported snapshot
Find this utility’s official report →Measurements (2)
An action level is a regulatory trigger, not a pass/fail health boundary. A reported zero is the value in the source record and does not establish that lead is absent at your tap.
Lead (90th percentile)
EPA SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule samples
- Reported level
- 0.0056 mg/L
- Action level
- 0.015 mg/L
37% of the listed benchmark
Monitoring period: Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U
EPA SDWIS reported health-based violation
- Reported level
- 15.65 PCI/L
- Maximum contaminant level
- 15 PCI/L
104% of the listed benchmark
Monitoring period: Jul 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2024
Violation history (2)
| Rule | Status | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U | Archived | Jul 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2025 |
| Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and UHealth-based | Archived | Jul 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2024 |
Southeast Polk Rwd
IA7774701 · Surface water · 7,565 people served system-wide
The system names this served city; Census place overlap links the city to this ZCTA.
No active health-based record in this imported snapshot
Find this utility’s official report →Measurements (1)
An action level is a regulatory trigger, not a pass/fail health boundary. A reported zero is the value in the source record and does not establish that lead is absent at your tap.
Lead (90th percentile)
EPA SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule samples
- Reported level
- 0 mg/L
- Action level
- 0.015 mg/L
0% of the listed benchmark
Monitoring period: Jan 1, 2022 to Dec 31, 2024
Violation history (0)
No record returned in this imported window. This is not a guarantee of tap-water safety.
Hardness meter
What does nearby environmental evidence show?
376
PPM as CaCO₃
Very Hard
PPM
376
GPG
22
Regional environmental evidence
USGS hardness classification scale
376 PPM
Soft
0–60Moderate
61–120Hard
121–180Very hard
181+
0–60Moderate
61–120Hard
121–180Very hard
181+
Parts per million
376
mg/L as CaCO₃ equivalent
Grains per gallon
22
1 GPG ≈ 17.1 PPM
How to use regional evidence
These samples describe nearby environmental water. They cannot establish whether your tap water is soft or hard. Use a utility result or a tap test for appliance settings and treatment sizing.
USGS sites used
2
Nearest site
14.5 mi
Observation range
Jun 28, 2017–Jul 30, 2024
Regional evidence confidence
Moderate
Median of the latest source-type-aligned hardness observation at each monitoring site within 25 miles. Nearest monitoring location: 081N23W10BAA (Well).USGS source documentation ↗Evidence tier: Regional environmental evidence. This value is not used as proof of the serving utility's treated-water hardness.
Regional context
Is 50009 typical?
These comparisons use other indexed ZIP estimates, not utility tap samples. They help show local context without replacing a household test.
Altoona median
376 PPM
About the same1 indexed ZIP readings · Range 376–376 PPM
Iowa median
281 PPM
95 PPM higher443 indexed ZIP readings · Range 101–729.5 PPM
Evidence-first next steps
Confirm the problem before choosing treatment
This profile can help you ask the right question. It cannot select equipment for a property without a current result from the serving utility or the tap.
Confirm the serving system
ZIP boundaries and utility service areas do not perfectly match. Verify the system on a water bill before relying on system-wide records.
Read the current utility report
Use the current Consumer Confidence Report for treated-water results and official notices.
Find an official utility report →Test for the decision you face
Use a tap hardness test before sizing a softener. For health concerns, use a certified laboratory and the correct sampling protocol.
Convert your hardness test result →Frequently asked
Water questions for Altoona
Is tap water safe in Altoona?+
EPA ECHO shows no active health-based violation for the associated systems in this reporting snapshot. This does not prove every contaminant is absent; federal records can lag and household plumbing can change tap conditions.
How hard is the water?+
Utility-reported hardness is unavailable in this index. Regional samples do not establish tap-water hardness. Ask your provider or test your tap.
Do I need a water softener?+
Confirm hardness at your tap and consider actual scale or spotting before choosing treatment. Regional environmental values cannot determine whether you need a softener. A softener addresses hardness, not every contaminant.