Water that's safe to drink should ideally be clear with no odor or funny taste. If your tap water tastes metallic, smells fishy, or comes out cloudy, it could signal the presence of unsafe contaminants.
Des Moines tap water is safe. If you want to be sure that you are not drinking anything contaminated with lead, you should purchase a home water filter with a sub-micron filter. This type will ensure that you don't ingest any lead into your body.
The water in Ames was rated the best tasting water in Iowa by judged at the Iowa Section — American Water Works Association this week in Dubuque. This is the second consecutive year that Ames won the award.
As water passes over and through it, calcium and magnesium are dissolved, making the water hard. The hardness of West Des Moines tap water averages 154 milligrams per liter (9 grains per gallon) which is in the middle of the scale used by the EPA to define hardness and softness.
From its early days as the home of the Meskwaki, and over the course of nearly two hundred years as a major U.S. fort and then Iowa's capital city, Des Moines and its surrounding area has relied on abundant clean drinking water from two rivers: the Des Moines and the Raccoon, both tributaries of the Mississippi.
The Iowa Approach to Water QualityAll Iowans value clean, safe water for drinking and recreation. Our state in the midst of a public health crisis on many fronts and it is past time to address polluted rivers, lakes, wells and groundwater.
Clear Lake (Iowa)
| Clear Lake |
|---|
| Location | Cerro Gordo County, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 43°07′32″N 93°25′29″WCoordinates: 43°07′32″N 93°25′29″W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 3,684 acres (15 km2) |
Iowa is a pretty safe state overall, but like anywhere, there is still crime lurking around. If you have ever wondered what the most crime-ridden and dangerous places in Iowa are, look no further.
Air & Water Quality Rankings
| Rank | State | Drinking Water Quality |
|---|
| 18 | Iowa Iowa | 27 |
| 19 | Louisiana Louisiana | 34 |
| 20 | Arkansas Arkansas | 28 |
| 21 | Oregon Oregon | 39 |
Nonpoint-source pollution – runoff of soil, fertilizer and manure from agricultural land in particular – is the most significant source of water pollution in Iowa, and is largely unregulated.
Iowa water quality ranking: #1 in buffer strips and conservation tillage, #2 in combined no-till and conservation tillage. Iowa ranks first nationally in acres devoted to grassy buffer strips along the edges of farm fields (to protect streams from runoff) and conservation tillage (a practice to prevent soil erosion).
Just 34 Iowa lakes are naturally occurring. The deepest natural lakes in the state are the system called the Iowa Great Lakes, surrounding the town of Okoboji.
Untreated waste from these sources can carry disease-causing microorganisms, called pathogens, into the water. Bacteria from the watershed have led to the Maquoketa River being listed as impaired.
Three out of four Iowans get their drinking water from groundwater sources. The state is blessed with as many as six aquifers—one of which is the Cambrian-Ordovician, or Jordan, the principal water source for numerous cities and industries statewide. But even Iowa's rich underground water reservoirs have limits.
Soon after, two shots were heard by the squaws and, at that time, Sidominadota rolled off his pony with two bloody holes through his body. Lott took the pony but left the Chief's bloody body on the ice of the creek where he was found by his tribesmen. Hence the name of the creek, "Bloody Run."
