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Community Water System · PWS WA5389700

Tumwater City Of

Tumwater, Washington 98501 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 66,373 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

66,373
People served
22
EPA violations
12
Health-based
1 PFAS
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 22 drinking-water violations at Tumwater City Of, 55% of them health-based - below the Washington per-system average, and UCMR5 testing detected 1 PFAS compound.

22
Total EPA violations on record
55%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
66,373
People served by this system
1
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Tumwater City Of

Tumwater City Of is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 66,373 residents in Tumwater, Washington (Thurston County) through 13,230 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 22 total violations for this system , of which 12 (55%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 9 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2020.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 12 violations (MCL, health-based). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 1 PFAS compound was detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 6.8 ppt (parts per trillion). PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

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%).

Tumwater City Of's 22 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.

PFAS Detected

1 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Population Served
66,373
Total Violations
22
Health-Based Violations
12
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
13,230
County
Thurston
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
12
Monitoring Violations
9
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 12 2006
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 1992
Nitrate MR 3 2009
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1979
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 2020

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 2 of 290 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant Date Result MRL Status
11Cl-PF3OUdS 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 5/18/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
ADONA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
HFPO-DA 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMBA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBA 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
6:2 FTS 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
4:2 FTS 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
8:2 FTS 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMPA 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTrDA 5/18/2023 <7.00 ppt 7.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTA 5/18/2023 <8.00 ppt 8.00 ppt Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 5/18/2023 <6.00 ppt 6.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFEESA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpS 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOS 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFUnA 5/18/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
PFNA 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
NFDHA 5/18/2023 <20.00 ppt 20.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOA 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDoA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBS 5/18/2023 6.50 ppt 3.00 ppt Detected
PFEESA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFDA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeS 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHpS 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTA 5/18/2023 <8.00 ppt 8.00 ppt Not Detected
PFTrDA 5/18/2023 <7.00 ppt 7.00 ppt Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 5/18/2023 <6.00 ppt 6.00 ppt Not Detected
PFHxS 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
NFDHA 5/18/2023 <20.00 ppt 20.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOA 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 5/18/2023 <2.00 ppt 2.00 ppt Not Detected
PFOS 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
PFPeA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
PFMPA 5/18/2023 <4.00 ppt 4.00 ppt Not Detected
8:2 FTS 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
4:2 FTS 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
6:2 FTS 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
PFBA 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected
ADONA 5/18/2023 <3.00 ppt 3.00 ppt Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 5/18/2023 <5.00 ppt 5.00 ppt Not Detected

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 Tumwater City Of.

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 WA5389700 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 Tumwater City Of 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
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 1 SDWIS / WA5389700 / 8000
2009 Nitrate MR 3 SDWIS / WA5389700 / 1040
2006 Coliform (TCR) MCL 12 SDWIS / WA5389700 / 3100
1992 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / WA5389700 / 3100
1979 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / WA5389700 / 4000

How Tumwater City Of Compares

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

Metric Tumwater City Of Washington avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 22 69 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 12 4.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection 1 compound 39.7% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 66,373 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 Tumwater City Of water safe to drink?
Tumwater City Of (PWS ID: WA5389700) has 22 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 1 PFAS compound found. This system serves 66,373 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Tumwater City Of serve?
Tumwater City Of serves 66,373 people in Tumwater, Washington. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 13,230 service connections.
What type of violations does Tumwater City Of have?
Tumwater City Of has 22 total violations: 12 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 9 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Tumwater City Of water?
Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 1 PFAS compound in Tumwater City Of's water supply: PFBS. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What water source does Tumwater City Of use?
Tumwater City Of 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. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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.