Urbandale owns no wells and no treatment plant. The utility states it purchases and distributes treated water from Des Moines Water Works, which makes the pipes between the plant and your house the part of the system Urbandale actually controls — and that is where this city's most interesting numbers show up.
| Urbandale at a glance | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Who supplies the water | Urbandale Water Utility, PWSID IA7780042, 45,605 people served (EPA SDWIS). A founding member of Central Iowa Water Works; the utility states it operates no wells or treatment plants of its own |
| Where it comes from | Purchased surface water from Des Moines Water Works. The 2026 regional report notes that parts of Urbandale are served by the L.D. McMullen plant on the Raccoon River |
| Softened at the plant | Yes, at the supplier's plant. Urbandale adds no softening of its own, so hardness arrives as DMWW delivered it |
| Published hardness | None from Urbandale. Its supplier states a target of less than 150 mg/L, or 8.76 grains per gallon (Des Moines Water Works FAQ) |
The 2026 regional water quality report puts Urbandale's total trihalomethanes at 70 µg/L, with a range of 51 to 99, against a maximum contaminant level of 80 µg/L. That is the highest figure in the metro table, and it is not a violation — compliance is judged on a running annual average, and Urbandale's is under the limit.
Trihalomethanes are formed when chlorine meets naturally occurring organic material in the water, and they keep forming as the water sits in the distribution system. That is why a city that buys water can post a higher number than the plant that made it: the water simply spends longer in pipes before it reaches the tap. Ankeny, on similar purchased water, reported 49 µg/L.
What that changes for a homeowner is straightforward and unglamorous. Chlorine and its byproducts are what carbon is for. A full carbon stage on a whole-home system, or a reverse osmosis unit at the kitchen sink, is the ordinary answer — the same answer as for chlorine taste, which our note on chlorine taste covers.
The 2026 report shows Urbandale with one 2024 lead sample above the 15 µg/L action level, in a range of not-detected to 44 µg/L, and twelve samples that tested positive for coliform bacteria with repeat samples negative. We are reporting those exactly as published, because they are the utility's own figures and they deserve to be read accurately rather than dramatised.
Lead in these programmes is sampled at customer taps, not at the plant, because the source of it is almost always the plumbing inside or immediately outside a specific house — older service lines, older solder, older brass fixtures. That is why one address can read 44 µg/L while its neighbours read nothing at all, and it is why the sampling is done house by house. If your Urbandale home predates the 1986 solder ban, that is a reasonable thing to have checked at your own tap. Reverse osmosis at the point of use is the standard treatment approach for drinking and cooking water.
Urbandale Water Utility's water quality page publishes no hardness figure, so the only sourced number available is the supplier's: DMWW aims for under 150 mg/L, roughly 8.76 grains per gallon. That is a target for a system serving a quarter of a million people, not a reading from your street.
There is a further wrinkle here. The 2026 report assigns parts of Urbandale to the L.D. McMullen plant and the rest to Fleur Drive, and both use lime softening — but DMWW does not publish a plant-by-plant hardness figure. At 8.76 grains you are looking at meaningfully less scale than most of Iowa deals with, and still enough to spot on glass and fixtures. Our Iowa water hardness by city guide shows how thin the published record is statewide.
Given the numbers above, most Urbandale conversations start with carbon and reverse osmosis rather than with softening. Every price is all-in: equipment, installation, taxes and a lifetime parts warranty.
Maintenance plans are $199 a year for a tank-RO home and $249 a year for a tankless-RO home. Diagnostic service calls are $199; a known-issue trip is $99 plus the part. Financing is 0%, and there is $100 off for military and first responders. Ask for the full written breakdown before you book, or start one from our instant quote.
North-west of Urbandale the service area gives way to private wells in rural Polk and Dallas County, where none of the treatment described here applies. Our well water system is a dual-tank build at $3,450, or $3,800 with tank RO, plus UV disinfection at $700 and sediment pre-filtration at $500 where the test calls for them. Tank RO rather than tankless on a well, always, because high dissolved solids cost a tankless unit its pressure.
We are licensed and insured, and our softeners are built from NSF/ANSI 44 certified components and our reverse osmosis systems are certified to NSF/ANSI 58. Licensed local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule and stand behind handle every install. All of our pricing is published and all-in, which means no add-ons appear once someone is standing in your basement.
Every number on this page describes a system average or a sample from someone else's house. Yours is the one that decides what you actually need. We come to you, test hardness, iron, chlorine and the rest at your kitchen sink, and leave the readings and a written quote with you either way, at no charge. Book your free in-home water test.
Des Moines · Johnston · West Des Moines · Grimes · Waukee · Polk County
No. Urbandale Water Utility states that it purchases and distributes treated water from Des Moines Water Works and operates no wells or treatment plants of its own. It is a founding member of Central Iowa Water Works, and the 2026 regional report notes parts of the city are served by the L.D. McMullen plant.
The 2026 regional report lists Urbandale at 70 µg/L, range 51 to 99, against an 80 µg/L maximum contaminant level. Trihalomethanes form when chlorine meets organic material and keep forming while water sits in pipes, so a city that buys water can post a higher figure than the plant that made it. Ankeny reported 49 µg/L.
It shows one 2024 sample above the 15 µg/L action level, in a range from not detected to 44 µg/L, plus twelve coliform-positive samples with negative repeat samples. Lead samples are taken at customer taps because the source is normally the plumbing at that address, which is why results vary house to house.
Urbandale publishes no hardness figure. The only sourced number is its supplier's: Des Moines Water Works states a target of less than 150 mg/L, or 8.76 grains per gallon. That is a system-wide target rather than a measurement from your street, and DMWW does not publish a plant-by-plant hardness figure.
A standalone Kind Water Co reverse osmosis system is $800 for the tank model and $900 tankless, all-in with equipment, installation, taxes and a lifetime parts warranty. Paired with a softener and a carbon stage the package is $2,850. RO systems are certified to NSF/ANSI 58, with 0% financing and $100 off for military and first responders.
Every number on this page comes from a public record. Here is where to open each one yourself.
Whole-home water softening, filtration, and reverse-osmosis drinking water — professionally installed and built to last a lifetime.
Serving Marion, Cedar Rapids & surrounding Linn County communities
Kind Water Co is a d/b/a of Zero Cap Investments LLC · 2258 Bison St, Apt B, Marion, IA 52302
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