Osceola Water Works, IA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 6 ppb (monitoring period 2022-2024). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
About Osceola Water Works
Osceola Water Works serves about 5,503 people through 2,288 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Clarke County, Iowa. EPA system ID: IA2038038; phone on file: 641-342-1435. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Osceola Water Works's lead record
Against the period ending 2021 (6 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Osceola Water Works is 6 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 ppb |
| 2021 | 6 ppb |
| 2018 | 5 ppb |
How Osceola Water Works compares
Of the 1,066 Iowa systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 1.4 ppb; 4 are over 15 ppb right now and 36 have gone over at some point. Osceola Water Works's 6 ppb sits at the 92nd percentile in Iowa and the 93rd nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Clarke County
2 other systems share Clarke County; 0 of them have a higher latest lead result than Osceola Water Works. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Sirwa #3 (Osceola) | 4,080 | 3 ppb |
| Murray Water Works | 684 | 1 ppb |
Next steps for Osceola, IA
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Osceola, IA may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Osceola Water Works whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.