Kind Water Co installs water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, and whole-home filtration in Washington, Iowa. Per the city's consumer confidence report, Washington's water is groundwater from Wells #5, #6 and #7, drawn from the sandstone and dolomite of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer — deep, well-protected, and delivered without a documented softening step.
| Quick fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Utility | Washington Water Department (PWSID 9271068), serving 7,352 people per the 2020 Census |
| Water source | Groundwater from Wells #5, #6 and #7 at the plant, in the sandstone and dolomite of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer, rated low susceptibility to surface contamination by the Iowa DNR source water assessment |
| Softened at the plant? | No softening is stated in the report and no hardness figure is published. Deep Cambrian-Ordovician water is typically hard — we test yours rather than estimate |
| One distinguishing fact | The report lists sodium at 60 ppm (sampled 10/24/2023), combined radium at 1.4 pCi/L, fluoride at 0.22 ppm and a chlorine running average of 1.2 ppm — with no violations |
Washington is the county seat and the largest town in this part of southeast Iowa, and its water comes from the deepest and best-protected aquifer in the state. The report states it directly: "This water supply obtains its water from the sandstone and dolomite of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer," rated low susceptibility to contamination from the land surface.
That protection is the good news. The trade-off is chemistry: water that has spent millennia moving through sandstone and dolomite carries dissolved minerals with it, which is why deep-well Iowa towns are the ones with spotted glasses and scaled-up water heaters. Washington publishes no hardness figure, so we do not quote one — but the report does show sodium at 60 ppm, combined radium at 1.4 pCi/L, fluoride at 0.22 ppm, and a chlorine running annual average of 1.2 ppm, all without violations.
The report is not mailed to residents. As the document itself says, it goes in the local newspaper, on the city website, and on the Iowa Rural Water Association's CCR portal, where Washington's reports for 2019 through 2025 are archived.
The two complaints we hear most in Washington are hardness and chlorine taste. Chlorine is there on purpose — it is what keeps the distribution system safe between the plant and your faucet — but nothing requires you to drink it. A reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink handles taste and odor along with dissolved solids; a softener handles the scale and the soap. Our chlorine taste page explains the difference in plain terms.
All prices are all-in — equipment, installation by a licensed plumbing professional, taxes, lifetime parts warranty.
0% financing available; $100 off for military and first responders. See our Eastern Iowa cost page.
Washington County is row-crop country, and the households outside the city system are on their own wells with no annual report and no utility watching the numbers. The Iowa DNR recommends testing every year for bacteria and nitrate, and Iowa's Private Well Grants program covers free county lab testing through your county environmental health office — worth doing before you spend a dollar on equipment.
Nitrate is the one to take seriously out here. Iowa State University extension materials note it is odorless and tasteless, and that reverse osmosis, distillation and anion exchange are what remove it; the CDC notes boiling does not remove chemical contaminants. Read our nitrates page, our well water guide, or free well testing.
Family-owned, founded in 2021, headquartered in Marion. Every installation is done by licensed local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule, and stand behind — insured and bonded. Lifetime parts warranty, five years on media, one year on labor. We test first and quote second, and the number does not change afterward.
We test your water at your own sink, show you what is in it, and leave a written price. No obligation, no pressure. Call or text 319-319-6566, email ryan@kindwaterco.com, or get an instant quote.
We serve Washington County and the greater Iowa City corridor, including Kalona, Iowa City, Coralville, Williamsburg, and Muscatine.
From groundwater — Wells #5, #6 and #7 at the plant, drawing from the sandstone and dolomite of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer. The Iowa DNR source water assessment rates that aquifer low susceptibility to contamination from the land surface, because the overlying rock provides natural protection. Reports for 2019 through 2025 are archived on the Iowa CCR portal.
The city publishes no hardness figure, so we do not quote one. No softening step is stated in the report, which means whatever the aquifer delivers reaches your tap. Deep Cambrian-Ordovician water is typically hard; the USGS calls anything above 180 mg/L very hard. A free in-home test gives you your own number.
The report lists sodium at 60 ppm, sampled 10/24/2023. Sodium is not a regulated contaminant, so no limit is printed beside it. It occurs naturally in deep groundwater and is also commonly added during treatment. Anyone watching sodium at the drinking tap typically uses a reverse osmosis system, which is $800 installed.
Because the city does not mail it. The report says so directly: it is published in the local newspaper, on the city website, and on the Iowa Rural Water Association CCR portal. Reports from 2019 through 2025 are archived there, including the sodium, radium, fluoride and chlorine results.
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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