West Des Moines, IA Water Quality Report

Is West Des Moines tap water safe? See PFAS and lead contamination levels for West Des Moines, Iowa. Compare to EPA limits and get filter recommendations.

Quick Answers

Is West Des Moines, IA tap water safe to drink? West Des Moines, IA public water systems are not reported as having detected PFAS in the most recent EPA UCMR5 testing cycle. Smaller systems may not be required to test, so private wells and older infrastructure still warrant caution.

What contaminants are in West Des Moines, IA water? EPA UCMR5 tests 29 PFAS compounds plus 42+ regulated contaminants (lead, arsenic, nitrate, disinfection byproducts). The detailed table below shows every detection with comparison to EPA limits.

What filter should I use in West Des Moines, IA? An NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis system is the strongest option, removing 90%+ of PFAS along with lead and arsenic. For renters or smaller households in West Des Moines, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater, LifeStraw) is a practical alternative. Ordinary Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

West Des Moines, IA Water Quality Summary

No PFAS detections have been reported for West Des Moines, IA in the latest EPA UCMR5 cycle. Treat that as a snapshot rather than a verdict – testing in Iowa is ongoing, exempt smaller systems may be untested, and conditions vary block by block. Your ZIP code lookup shows the most specific data we have.

Contamination Level: NONE – No PFAS detected in recent testing.

Lead in West Des Moines, IA Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing has recorded 21 lead samples for West Des Moines water systems, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.005 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; if your home was built before 1986, a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead-removal filter is recommended.

EPA Violations in West Des Moines, IA

West Des Moines public water systems have 2 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Surface Water Treatment Rule, Arsenic. Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

The numbers on this page are drawn from EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), which covers 66,000+ public water systems nationwide, including those serving West Des Moines, IA's approximately 68,723 residents.

ZIP Codes Served

50265, 50266

What West Des Moines, Iowa Residents Should Do

  1. Enter your exact ZIP code at knowyourexposure.com for address-level data
  2. Install an NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis filter (removes 94-99% of PFAS)
  3. If you're in a high-exposure group (pregnant, young children), consider a PFAS home test kit
  4. Review the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) your Iowa utility publishes annually