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Local water dashboard

Official source aggregation

Water quality in Vail, IA 51465

A source-transparent look at local hardness, associated public water systems, EPA compliance history, and the measurements that are—and are not—available for Crawford County.

1 reported benchmark flag
Primary matched system
Vail Water Supply
Source water
Groundwater
County
Crawford County
Profile updated

At a glance

What the current records say

Hardness

Very Hard

422 PPM · 24.7 GPG

Compliance screen

No active flag

0 active health-based records

Lead 90th percentile

0.002 mg/L

13% of action level

Utility match

1 system

Serves 383 people system-wide

Hardness meter

How hard is the water?

Very Hard

Estimated local hardness

USGS hardness classification scale

422 PPM

Soft
0–59Moderate
60–120Hard
121–180Very hard
181+

Parts per million

422

mg/L as CaCO₃ equivalent

Grains per gallon

24.7

1 GPG ≈ 17.1 PPM

What this means at home

At 422 PPM, mineral scale can build up on fixtures and heating elements, reduce soap lather, and leave visible spotting. Hardness is primarily an aesthetic and appliance concern—not itself a tap-water safety rating.

USGS sites used

41

Nearest site

54.5 mi

Observation range

Aug 25, 2016–May 27, 2026

Estimate confidence

Low

Median of the latest qualifying hardness observation at each nearby monitoring site. Nearest monitoring location: 23N 10E 2ADBB01 (D-D1) (Well).USGS source documentation ↗

Regional context

Is 51465 typical?

These comparisons use other indexed ZIP estimates, not utility tap samples. They help show local context without replacing a household test.

Vail median

422 PPM

About the same

1 indexed ZIP readings · Range 422–422 PPM

Iowa median

281 PPM

141 PPM higher

721 indexed ZIP readings · Range 182–834 PPM

EPA benchmark screen

Contaminant snapshot

Available numerical results from associated SDWIS community water systems, compared with the applicable action level or federal MCL. Federal measured-value coverage is incomplete.

1 pass1 fail

Lead (PB90)

0.002 mg/L

Reported Dec 31, 2025

Copper (CU90)

1.3506 mg/L

Reported Dec 31, 2025

Numerical coverage

2 comparable results

Missing values remain blank; absence is not treated as a pass.

Lead (90th percentile)

Measured in mg/L

Pass

Local 0.002

EPA limit 0.015

Local level is 13% of the listed EPA limit.

Copper (90th percentile)

Measured in mg/L

Fail

Local 1.3506

EPA limit 1.3

Local level is 104% of the listed EPA limit.

Share of EPA benchmark

100% line = listed limit

EPA SDWIS compliance

Reported violation history

Open EPA source documentation ↗
2026Q2
All records
1
Health-based
0
Active health-based
0
Contaminant or ruleSystemStatusPeriod
Revised Total Coliform RuleIA2452044ResolvedNov 1, 2021through Nov 30, 2021

No reported violation does not prove that every contaminant was tested or absent; SDWIS measured values are incomplete and lag state records.

Solutions matcher

Your personalized water action plan

Matched to Vail ZIP 51465 using 422 PPM nearby hardness and 2 reported measurement benchmarks.

2 matches

Scale protection

High-Capacity Whole House Water Softener

422 PPM is 4× the high-hardness trigger used by this matcher.

Designed to reduce scale on fixtures, water heaters, glassware, and plumbing throughout the home.

Compare whole-house systems

Drinking water protection

Under-Sink Reverse Osmosis System

Copper (90th percentile) has a measured benchmark flag or active health-based SDWIS record in this profile.

A certified multi-stage RO system targets a broader range of dissolved contaminants at the kitchen tap.

Explore under-sink filtration

Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, at no added cost to you. Product matching is educational and does not replace certified water testing.

Frequently asked

Water questions for Vail

Is tap water safe in Vail?+

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?+

Nearby USGS observations produce an estimate of 422 PPM, or 24.7 grains per gallon, classified as very hard. This is not a household tap measurement.

Do I need a water softener?+

At 422 PPM, a correctly sized whole-house softener can reduce scale and hard-water spotting. It does not replace contaminant filtration.