PlainWater

COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT

PWS ID: WA5314100 · Colton, Washington 99113

COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT serves 632 people in Colton, Washington using Groundwater water sources. It has 47 recorded EPA violations, including 1 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT

COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 632 residents in Colton, Washington (Whitman County) through 203 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 47 total violations for this system , of which 1 (2%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 43 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is CYANIDE, recorded in 3 violations (MR). 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. COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT's 47 violations sit below the Washington average. Statewide, 98 of 247 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (39.7%). 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
632
Total Violations
47
Health-Based Violations
1
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
203
County
Whitman
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
1
Monitoring Violations
43
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
CYANIDE MR 3 2002
Antimony, Total MR 3 2002
Thallium, Total MR 3 2002
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 3 2016
Nickel MR 3 2002
Beryllium, Total MR 3 2002
TTHM MR 2 2018
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 1993
Pentachlorophenol MR 2 2008
Picloram MR 1 2008
Dinoseb MR 1 2008
2,4,5-TP MR 1 2008
Endrin MR 1 2008
Toxaphene MR 1 2008
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 1 2008
Simazine MR 1 2008
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 1 2008
Atrazine MR 1 2008
LASSO MR 1 2008
Heptachlor MR 1 2008
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 1 2008
Chlordane MR 1 2008
Lead and Copper Rule MR 1 2000
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1979
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 1 2018
BHC-GAMMA MR 1 2008
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 1 2008
Methoxychlor MR 1 2008
Heptachlor epoxide MR 1 2008
Coliform (TCR) MCL 1 1993

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 COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT.

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 WA5314100 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 COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT 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
2018 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2950
2018 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2456
2016 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 3 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 7000
2008 Pentachlorophenol MR 2 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2326
2008 Picloram MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2040
2008 Dinoseb MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2041
2008 2,4,5-TP MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2110
2008 Endrin MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2005
2008 Toxaphene MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2020
2008 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2035
2008 Simazine MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2037
2008 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2039
2008 Atrazine MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2050
2008 LASSO MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2051
2008 Heptachlor MR 1 SDWIS / WA5314100 / 2065

How COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT Compares

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

Metric COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT Washington avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 47 69 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 1 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 632 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
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT water safe to drink?
COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT (PWS ID: WA5314100) has 47 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 632 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT serve?
COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT serves 632 people in Colton, Washington. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 203 service connections.
What type of violations does COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT have?
COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT has 47 total violations: 1 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 43 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT water?
No PFAS testing data is available for COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT use?
COLTON WATER DEPARTMENT 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.

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Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Related

Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial