The Johnston Brief
New to town, filling a baby bottle, or just wondering why your glasses have spots - it's a fair question. Here's the honest, sourced answer on Johnston's tap water: whether it's safe, where it comes from, why it's hard, and exactly where to check the numbers yourself instead of trusting a filter ad.
Yes - it's safe to drink. Johnston's tap water is treated Des Moines Water Works water, tested and reported against the federal EPA drinking-water standards. It's surface water from central Iowa rivers, so it's hard (spots & scale, not a health issue) and, like all Iowa river water, nitrate can rise seasonally with farm runoff. Want the details? Read the annual Water Quality Report.
Bottom line: you can drink it straight from the tap. The City of Johnston buys its treated water from Des Moines Water Works, then runs the local pipes and billing. The two things people actually notice - hardness and the occasional nitrate headline - are worth understanding, so here's the plain version.
Johnston doesn't run its own treatment plant - the city purchases finished drinking water from Des Moines Water Works, which treats surface water from central Iowa's river watershed (the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers). Because that watershed runs through intensive farmland, the contaminant the whole region watches is nitrate from agricultural runoff - it can spike after heavy spring rains. The utility treats for it, and the annual report shows the actual levels. This is a central-Iowa reality, not unique to Johnston.
Central Iowa sits on limestone and dolomite, so the water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium - that's "hard" water. It's a nuisance, not a hazard: spots on dishes, scale on the faucet, soap that won't lather. A water softener fixes the annoyance, but it's a preference, not a safety must. (Setting up utilities? See our utilities guide.)
1) Annual Water Quality Report (CCR): the official report listing what was detected vs. legal limits - via the City of Johnston, 515-278-2344 or cityofjohnston.com, with source-water data published by Des Moines Water Works (dmww.com). 2) EWG Tap Water Database: an independent nonprofit that grades contaminants against its own stricter health guidelines. Heads-up: many "your water is contaminated" sites are run by companies selling filters - read those with that in mind.
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Yes - it's treated municipal water (from Des Moines Water Works) reported against federal EPA standards. For exact detected levels, read the annual Water Quality Report.
Neither is required for safety. A softener is popular because the water is hard (spots/scale). A filter is a personal preference - decide from the actual report, not a filter ad.
It's the contaminant central Iowa river water is watched for, and it can rise seasonally with farm runoff. The utility treats for it; the annual report shows current levels.
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