County water report

Polk County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Polk County, Iowa.

Water grade

Water score

69.8

State rank

#70

of 99

Health violations

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

147

135,989 recent measurements

Live streamflow

90%

Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv at Des Moines, IA

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Polk County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

Score: 69.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

90% of mean

Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv at Des Moines, IA

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

147

135,989 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

69.8/100

Health violations

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

1.0

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Polk County has 35 facilities in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #31 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSI

80.4

0-100 index

Facility count

96.4 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+19.8

Compared with US county median

Named operators

MetaMicrosoft

Mapped facilities

Altoona Meta Data Center
Meta
OSM
Aureon
Des Moines
OSM
CDS GLOBAL INC
WEST DES MOINES
EPA ECHO
CLOP DES MOINES IA, LLC
DES MOINES
EPA ECHO
Facebook Altoona Data Center 1
Meta
OSM
Facebook Altoona Data Center 2
Meta
OSM

29 more mapped facilities included in the county score.

See the Polk County data-center report Review methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Polk County.

Facility size: 100 MW

1 MW1,000 MW

Cooling type

Utilization: 70%

40%100%

799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 59.9% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

59.9% of county industrial baseline0.53 Mgal/day remaining headroom

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Polk County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Polk County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 69.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-05:00) puts Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv at 6.0k cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 90% of mean. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Polk County has extensive coverage with 147 active monitoring sites with 135,989 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Polk County

Water Verdict

Polk County, Iowa receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 69.8 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 9,879 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 89.9% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Polk County, Iowa show 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 1.0 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 135,989 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water compliance data for Polk County shows a A grade. Polk County's drinking-water compliance score is 69.8 out of 100. Reviewing your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report provides the most accurate picture of detected contaminants and treatment status. An NSF-certified water filter can add an extra layer of safety for any household concerns. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Polk County has water quality close to the average county in Iowa. Its water score is within 1.9 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Iowa as a whole.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Polk County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Polk County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Polk County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Polk County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IA)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Iowa

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

147

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

136K

135,989 total readings

Most Measured

Physical
Nutrient
Inorganics, Major, Non-metals

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

6,040cfs

May 14, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

90%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv at Des Moines, IA

USGS site: 05485500
Drainage area: 9,879 sq mi
Long-term mean: 6,719 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

Household size

3 people · ~225 gal/day

Filter type

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Polk County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

Try the full calculator →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Polk County, Iowa?

Polk County, Iowa has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 69.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.

Are there any water violations in Polk County?

Polk County has 5 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.

How much water-quality monitoring happens in Polk County?

EPA's Water Quality Portal records 135,989 measurements from 147 monitoring sites in Polk County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Major, Non-metals. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.

What's happening with rivers in Polk County right now?

Polk County's primary USGS streamgage on the Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv has a pipeline snapshot of 6,040 cubic feet per second — 90% of the long-term mean of 6,718.63 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.

How does Polk County water compare to the Iowa average?

Polk County's SDWIS water quality score of 69.8/100 is lower than the Iowa state average of 71.7. The average water quality grade across Iowa is C, based on data from 99 counties with available SDWIS data.

Is tap water safe to drink in Polk County?

Based on EPA SDWIS data, Polk County has a water quality grade of A (69.8/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).

Does Polk County have clean drinking water?

Polk County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 69.8/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.

How does Polk County rank for water quality in Iowa?

Polk County ranks #70 out of 99 counties in Iowa by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 69.8/100, it falls in the bottom third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Linn County

Iowa

69.0

Water score

Scott County

Iowa

68.2

Water score

Woodbury County

Iowa

67.8

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 14, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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