General Water Department

The Fairfield Water Department is responsible for the maintenance and customer service needs of the water supply for the City of Fairfield.  The Water Department is also known as Fairfield Waterworks.

The Customer Service department is located at Fairfield City Hall, 118 S. Main, Fairfield, Iowa 52556.  Tel: 641-472-5343.

The Office Manager can be reached at 641-472-5713.

Payments of water bills may be made during regular office hours, Monday - Friday.

To make after-hours payment, a drop-box is located in the alley on the North side of Fairfield City Hall.

What You Need to Know About Your Public Water Supply

This annual Water Quality Report meets the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements and contains information on the source of Fairfield's water, its constituents and the health risks associated with any contaminants. Safe water is vital to our community and we want you to know that you can be confident in the quality of the water consumed by you and your family.

Health Information

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk for infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health-care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lesson the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800-426-4791). All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It is important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline.

Fairfield's Water Supply

The City of Fairfield obtains its water from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer. The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer was determined to be not susceptible to contamination because the characteristics of the aquifer and overlying materials prevent easy access of contaminants to the aquifer. The city wells will not be susceptible to most contaminant sources except through pathways to the aquifer such as abandoned or poorly maintained wells. A detailed evaluation of your source water was completed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and is available for review at the Fairfield Water Plant.

For more information you may contact the water treatment plant at 641-472-2358, Monday through Friday. Regularly scheduled Council meetings are held on the 2^nd and 4^th Monday of the month at City Hall at 7:30 P.M.

Water Contaminants

The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Microbial contaminants,such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential use.

Organic chemical contaminants,including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can, also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

Because Fairfield's water source is underground, it is not subject to many of the contaminants that occur in other sources of drinking water such as rivers, lakes, and streams. Industrial and agricultural run-off can adversely affect above ground sources of water as we have seen with recent concerns of both nitrates and cryptosporidium.

Many contaminants occur naturally in water regardless of the source. The water treatment process reduces or eliminates the contaminants. Processes can vary depending on the contaminants associated with the source water.

The presence of a contaminant in drinking water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.

The EPA requires monitoring of over 80 drinking water contaminants. Those listed below are the only contaminants detected in your drinking water.

Terms used in Table:

MCL:Maximum Contaminant Level, The highest amount allowed in drinking water. Set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

MCLG:Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

AL:Action Level, The concentration of contaminant, which, if exceeded, triggers a treatment or other requirement, which a water system must follow.

ppm: parts per million

ppb: parts per billion

pCi/L: pico curies per liter, a measure of radioactivity

ND:not detected

N/A: not applicable

*Exceeding the MCL triggers quarterly monitoring

**Lead and Copper AL= 90 % of samples have to be below this level.

Nitrates:As a precaution we will notify physicians and health care providers if there is a higher than normal level in the water supply.

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