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Community Water System · PWS WA5387181

Tapps Island Water System

Lake Tapps, Washington 98391 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,500 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,500
People served
33
EPA violations
5
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 33 drinking-water violations at Tapps Island Water System, 15% of them health-based - below the Washington per-system average.

33
Total EPA violations on record
15%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,500
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Tapps Island Water System

Tapps Island Water System is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,500 residents in Lake Tapps, Washington (Pierce County) through 530 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 33 total violations for this system , of which 5 (15%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 24 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 9 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. Statewide, 98 of 247 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (39.7%).

Tapps Island Water System's 33 violations sit below 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
1,500
Total Violations
33
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
530
County
Pierce
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
24
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrate MR 9 2006
Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 2009
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 3 2023
Coliform (TCR) MR 1 2010
Arsenic MR 1 2008
Barium MR 1 2008
Chromium MR 1 2008
Nickel MR 1 2008
Antimony, Total MR 1 2008
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 2025
Fluoride MR 1 2008
Selenium MR 1 2008
Beryllium, Total MR 1 2008
Lead and Copper Rule MR 1 1999
Cadmium MR 1 2008
Thallium, Total MR 1 2008
Mercury MR 1 2008
CYANIDE MR 1 2008

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 Tapps Island 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 WA5387181 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 Tapps Island 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 8000
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 3 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 7000
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 3100
2009 Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 3100
2008 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1005
2008 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1010
2008 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1020
2008 Nickel MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1036
2008 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1074
2008 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1025
2008 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1045
2008 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1075
2008 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1015
2008 Thallium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1085
2008 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / WA5387181 / 1035

How Tapps Island Water System Compares

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

Metric Tapps Island Water System Washington avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 33 69 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 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 1,500 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 Tapps Island Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Tapps Island Water System (PWS ID: WA5387181) has 33 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,500 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Tapps Island Water System serve? ▼
Tapps Island Water System serves 1,500 people in Lake Tapps, Washington. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 530 service connections.
What type of violations does Tapps Island Water System have? ▼
Tapps Island Water System has 33 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 24 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Tapps Island Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Tapps Island Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Tapps Island Water System use? ▼
Tapps Island 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.