Question 1

Is Lower Elwha Valley water safe to drink?

Accepted Answer

Lower Elwha Valley (PWS ID: 105300087) has 76 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. EPA SDWIS lists this system's service population as 511 people using Groundwater sources.

Question 2

How many people does Lower Elwha Valley serve?

Accepted Answer

EPA SDWIS reports that Lower Elwha Valley serves 511 people (this public water system's service population, not the municipal population of Port Angeles or any other city). It is a Native American-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 174 service connections. The operator address is listed in Port Angeles, EPA Region 10 — Tribal Water Systems.

Question 3

What type of violations does Lower Elwha Valley have?

Accepted Answer

Lower Elwha Valley has 76 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 67 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.

Question 4

Has PFAS been detected in Lower Elwha Valley water?

Accepted Answer

No PFAS testing data is available for Lower Elwha Valley under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Question 5

What water source does Lower Elwha Valley use?

Accepted Answer

Lower Elwha Valley uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.

Question 6

Where does this data come from?

Accepted Answer

All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Question 7

Where does Lower Elwha Valley sit among U.S. public water systems?

Accepted Answer

According to EPA SDWIS population_served among sitemap-advertised systems (serving 500+), Lower Elwha Valley ranks #28,328 of 29,740 by people served, and #49 of 52 in EPA Region 10 — Tribal Water Systems. Ordinals use population_served DESC among systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). See /methodology#corpus-placement.

Question 8

How does Lower Elwha Valley's violation count compare nationally?

Accepted Answer

Lower Elwha Valley has 76 recorded EPA SDWIS violations, fewer than 33% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500 or more people nationwide (the same sitemap cohort used for the corpus-placement ranking above). 67% of that cohort has fewer violations than Lower Elwha Valley. A system can have zero recorded violations and still be actively monitored, and a high violation count often reflects a system that reports thoroughly, not necessarily one with worse water.

Contaminant	Category	Count	Latest
Coliform (TCR)	MR	14	2013
Consumer Confidence Rule	Other	7	2014
Lead and Copper Rule	MR	3	2016
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE	MR	2	2008
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE	MR	2	2008
TTHM	MR	2	2014
Glyphosate	MR	2	2008
Endothall	MR	2	2008
Combined Uranium	MR	2	2020
Chlorine	MR	2	2013
Diquat	MR	2	2008
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U	MR	2	2020
Combined Radium (-226 and -228)	MR	2	2020
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	MR	2	2014
2,3,7,8-TCDD	MR	2	2008
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate	MR	1	2005
Endrin	MR	1	2005
OXAMYL	MR	1	2005
Picloram	MR	1	2005
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene	MR	1	2005
LASSO	MR	1	2005
Heptachlor epoxide	MR	1	2005
2,4,5-TP	MR	1	2005
Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)	MR	1	2005
Chlordane	MR	1	2005
Nitrate	MR	1	2006
Toxaphene	MR	1	2005
Dalapon	MR	1	2005
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate	MR	1	2005
Dinoseb	MR	1	2005

Lower Elwha Valley

Lower Elwha Valley standing, high SDWIS violation third

System Details

Violation History

Violation Count vs. the National Corpus

Health-based violations on Lower Elwha Valley

Nationwide peers

Cross-state systems with comparable violation load

Cross-state systems with smaller service footprints