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Community Water System · PWS WA5302498

Desert Canyon Domestic Water System

Orondo, Washington 98843 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 292 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

292
People served
281
EPA violations
167
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 281 drinking-water violations at Desert Canyon Domestic Water System, 59% of them health-based - above the Washington per-system average.

281
Total EPA violations on record
59%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
292
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Desert Canyon Domestic Water System

Desert Canyon Domestic Water System is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 292 residents in Orondo, Washington (Douglas County) through 136 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 281 total violations for this system , of which 167 (59%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 110 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Nitrate, recorded in 161 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Washington, EPA tracks 4,557 public water systems serving 9,736,844 people, with 314,648 cumulative violations and 20,590 health-based violations on record. About 92% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 69 violations. Statewide, 98 of 247 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (39.7%).

Desert Canyon Domestic Water System's 281 violations sit above the Washington average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
292
Total Violations
281
Health-Based Violations
167
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
136
County
Douglas
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
167
Monitoring Violations
110
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrate MCL 161 2017
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2007
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 2005
Diquat MR 5 2005
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2025
Arsenic MR 4 2002
Fluoride MR 4 2002
Mercury MR 4 2002
Nickel MR 4 2002
Selenium MR 4 2002
Antimony, Total MR 4 2002
Thallium, Total MR 4 2002
CYANIDE MR 4 2002
Beryllium, Total MR 4 2002
Cadmium MR 4 2002
Chromium MR 4 2002
Barium MR 4 2002
Coliform (TCR) MR 3 2006
Pentachlorophenol MR 2 2002
Dinoseb MR 1 2002
Dalapon MR 1 2002
2,4,5-TP MR 1 2002
OXAMYL MR 1 2002
Aldicarb MR 1 2002
BHC-GAMMA MR 1 2002
Methoxychlor MR 1 2002
Toxaphene MR 1 2002
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 1 2002
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 1 2002
LASSO MR 1 2002

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Desert Canyon Domestic Water System.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID WA5302498 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Washington Drinking Water Authority

Washington State Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Desert Canyon Domestic Water System under EPA-delegated authority.

Open WA regulator portal

Source: Washington State Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2025 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 7000
2017 Nitrate MCL 161 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1040
2007 Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 5000
2006 Coliform (TCR) MR 3 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 3100
2005 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 3100
2005 Diquat MR 5 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 2032
2002 Arsenic MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1005
2002 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1025
2002 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1035
2002 Nickel MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1036
2002 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1045
2002 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1074
2002 Thallium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1085
2002 CYANIDE MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1024
2002 Beryllium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / WA5302498 / 1075

How Desert Canyon Domestic Water System Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Desert Canyon Domestic Water System Washington avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 281 69 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 167 4.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 39.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 292 2,137 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 4,557 regulated public water systems in Washington.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Desert Canyon Domestic Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Desert Canyon Domestic Water System (PWS ID: WA5302498) has 281 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 292 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Desert Canyon Domestic Water System serve? ▼
Desert Canyon Domestic Water System serves 292 people in Orondo, Washington. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 136 service connections.
What type of violations does Desert Canyon Domestic Water System have? ▼
Desert Canyon Domestic Water System has 281 total violations: 167 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 110 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Desert Canyon Domestic Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Desert Canyon Domestic Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Desert Canyon Domestic Water System use? ▼
Desert Canyon Domestic Water System uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
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.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.