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1,194 Iowa water systems have inventoried 1,186,924 service lines for EPA. 55,535 (4.7%) are confirmed lead and 180,543 (15%) are still of unknown material. Below: every large or city-linked Iowa utility ranked by lead lines.
Iowa water systems reported 55,535 lead service lines and 12,510 galvanized lines requiring replacement as of Q2 2026 — 4.7% of the 1,186,924 lines inventoried and 2.5% of the national lead total, ranking #10 of 51. IOWA-AMERICAN WTR CO-DAVENPORT reports the most in the state (9,620).
IOWA-AMERICAN WTR CO-DAVENPORT (9,620), DES MOINES WATER WORKS (8,114), ANKENY, CITY OF (6,630) lead the list; 294 Iowa systems report at least one lead line in total.
Find your utility in the table below, then check its published service line inventory (most utilities post an address-lookup map) or call the number on your water bill. Utilities must notify customers whose line is lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown. You can also test the pipe entering your home: lead is soft, dull gray, non-magnetic and turns shiny when scratched.
Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, systems must replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines within 10 years starting in 2027; systems with very high counts can receive longer deadlines. Ask your utility for its replacement plan and whether it covers the homeowner-owned portion.
Use a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead for drinking and cooking, flush the tap after water has sat for hours, never use hot tap water for drinking or infant formula, and confirm your actual level with a certified lab test.
Source: EPA SDWIS Service Line Inventory, Q2 2026 snapshot (updated 2026-08-18). Counts are service lines, not people.
1,177 of the 1,194 Iowa systems in EPA's Q2 2026 report have filed line counts. The 55,535 confirmed lead lines and 12,510 galvanized lines requiring replacement come from 294 systems — 25% of those reporting — so roughly one Iowa system in 4 reports at least one lead line. 180,543 lines (15%) are still of unknown material, below the national share of 22%.
Why unknown lines matter: Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), every community water system had to submit an initial service line inventory by October 16, 2024, and lines whose material could not be documented were reported as unknown. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), finalized in October 2024, require systems to keep identifying those lines, to notify customers served by a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown line, and to replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines — generally within 10 years of the rule's November 1, 2027 compliance date. The LCRI also lowers the lead action level from 15 to 10 ppb. For Iowa, that makes the 180,543 unknown lines (15%) the pool from which future confirmed-lead counts will be drawn.
Among the 24 Iowa utilities linked to a city report on this site, 17 report at least one lead or galvanized-requiring-replacement line and 7 report no lead with most lines verified. The largest — DES MOINES WATER WORKS (246,055 served), IOWA-AMERICAN WTR CO-DAVENPORT (147,720 served), and CEDAR RAPIDS WATER DEPARTMENT (142,364 served) — report 8,114 lead + 10 GRR, 9,620 lead + 8 GRR, and 108 lead + 2,387 GRR respectively.
Your own answer is one lookup away: search your utility's service line inventory (usually an address map on its website), or read the water system name and lead results in your latest Consumer Confidence Report. Customers on a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown line must be notified by the utility. Failing that, scratch the pipe at the water meter — lead is soft, dull gray, non-magnetic and turns shiny where scratched.
EPA's rule text and timelines are on its Lead and Copper Rule Improvements page. While your line is unverified, our best water filters for lead guide covers NSF/ANSI 53-certified options, and the lead in drinking water guide explains testing and health thresholds.
EPA SDWIS Service Line Inventory, Q2 2026 snapshot (updated 2026-08-18); regulatory dates from EPA's LCRR/LCRI pages.
Community systems serving 50,000+ people plus systems linked to a city report on this site (24 shown). State totals above include every reporting system.
| # | Water system | Status | Lead | GRR | Unknown | Total lines | City report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA-AMERICAN WTR CO-DAVENPORT IA8222001 · 147,720 served | Lead service lines present | 9,620 | 8 | 15,954 | 61,757 | Davenport → |
| 2 | DES MOINES WATER WORKS IA7727031 · 246,055 served | Lead service lines present | 8,114 | 10 | 45,950 | 90,731 | Des Moines → |
| 3 | ANKENY, CITY OF IA7709053 · 76,207 served | Lead service lines present | 6,630 | 0 | 0 | 29,465 | Ankeny → |
| 4 | SIOUX CITY WATER SUPPLY IA9778054 · 85,791 served | Lead service lines present | 4,271 | 0 | 2,587 | 25,645 | Sioux City → |
| 5 | COUNCIL BLUFFS WATER WORKS IA7820080 · 64,447 served | Lead service lines present | 2,937 | 574 | 3,257 | 22,749 | Council Bluffs → |
| 6 | IOWA CITY WATER DEPARTMENT IA5225079 · 68,753 served | Lead service lines present | 2,758 | 29 | 5 | 27,992 | Iowa City → |
| 7 | MASON CITY WATER DEPARTMENT IA1750048 · 27,338 served | Lead service lines present | 2,322 | 9 | 713 | 13,320 | Mason City → |
| 8 | MUSCATINE POWER & WATER IA7048001 · 25,516 served | Lead service lines present | 1,990 | 429 | 1 | 10,442 | Muscatine → |
| 9 | FORT DODGE WATER SUPPLY IA9433050 · 25,874 served | Lead service lines present | 1,159 | 90 | 90 | 10,247 | Fort Dodge → |
| 10 | IOWA-AMERICAN WTR CO-CLINTON DISTRICT IA2326048 · 24,769 served | Lead service lines present | 884 | 5 | 5,385 | 10,732 | Clinton → |
| 11 | AMES WATER TREATMENT PLANT IA8503039 · 55,177 served | Lead service lines present | 412 | 26 | 0 | 24,956 | Ames → |
| 12 | CEDAR RAPIDS WATER DEPARTMENT IA5715093 · 142,364 served | Lead service lines present | 108 | 2,387 | 4,949 | 54,425 | Cedar Rapids → |
| 13 | MARION MUNICIPAL WATER DEPT IA5751035 · 41,623 served | Lead service lines present | 69 | 101 | 1,025 | 14,888 | Marion → |
| 14 | MARSHALLTOWN WATER WORKS IA6469042 · 27,680 served | Lead service lines present | 5 | 61 | 1,936 | 12,073 | Marshalltown → |
| 15 | BURLINGTON MUNICIPAL WATERWORKS IA2909053 · 26,015 served | Lead service lines present | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12,239 | Burlington → |
| 16 | CORALVILLE MUNI WATER SYSTEM IA5208071 · 22,318 served | Lead service lines present | 1 | 0 | 29 | 6,571 | Coralville → |
| 17 | WEST DES MOINES WATER WORKS IA7785007 · 73,959 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 59 | 4,590 | 18,980 | West Des Moines → |
| 18 | WATERLOO WATER WORKS IA0790074 · 69,504 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 285 | 27,582 | Waterloo → |
| 19 | DUBUQUE WATER WORKS IA3126052 · 59,667 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23,955 | Dubuque → |
| 20 | URBANDALE WATER UTILITY IA7780042 · 45,605 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17,719 | Urbandale → |
| 21 | CEDAR FALLS MUNICIPAL WATER UTILITIES IA0709084 · 40,713 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12,348 | Cedar Falls → |
| 22 | OTTUMWA WATER WORKS IA9083012 · 25,529 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,485 | Ottumwa → |
| 23 | JOHNSTON MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY IA7740011 · 24,897 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,506 | Johnston → |
| 24 | NORTH LIBERTY WATER SUPPLY IA5252072 · 23,276 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9,280 | North Liberty → |
A lead or unknown service line means lead can enter water after it leaves the treatment plant, so city-level test results understate what reaches your tap. Filter drinking and cooking water with an NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified system, and see the lead in drinking water guide or Iowa city water reports.
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