PFAS Contamination

PFAS in Washington Drinking Water

Ranked by number of PFAS compounds detected · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

158

Cities Tested

Exceeds Limit

16%

% Exceeds Limit

1.2 compounds

State Avg

▼ 5% vs national

vs National

261

Health Violations

Analysis

PFAS in Washington: what the data shows

Washington has 158 cities with PFAS monitoring data from the EPA's UCMR 5 program. PFAS ("forever chemicals") were detected in 74 of those cities (47%), with a significant share of cities exceeding the EPA's 2024 maximum contaminant levels of 4 ppt. The state average is better than the national average. 26 cities exceed the EPA MCL for at least one PFAS compound. PFAS are linked to cancer, immune system disruption, and developmental issues. The 2024 EPA rule requires water systems exceeding the MCL to notify customers and reduce levels by 2029. PFAS data comes from the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR 5), which required large water systems to test for 29 PFAS compounds between 2023–2025. Not all systems have completed testing — cities without data may still have PFAS present.

Comparison

Cities exceeding EPA MCL (4 ppt each)

Washington

16%

26 of 158 cities

← ▼ 5% below national rate (better)

National avg

21%

1662 of 7853 cities

City Map

PFAS data across Washington

Each dot is a city, colored by overall water quality grade. PFAS-tested cities are shown; those exceeding the 4 ppt EPA MCL appear in red. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by pfas level in Washington

Highest PFAS levels (compounds)

All Cities

All Washington cities ranked by pfas level

#	City	Level	Exceeds?	Violations	Grade
1	Tacoma	10 compounds	Yes	232	F
2	Richland	8 compounds	Yes	7	C+
3	Vancouver	7 compounds	Yes	36	F
4	Kennewick	7 compounds	Yes	78	F
5	Coupeville	7 compounds	Yes	448	F
6	Benton City	7 compounds	Yes	17	F
7	Spokane	6 compounds	Yes	56	F
8	Kent	6 compounds	Yes	31	F
9	Federal Way	6 compounds	Yes	2	B
10	Sammamish	6 compounds	Yes	6	C-
11	Joint Base Lewis-Mcchord	6 compounds	Yes	3	B+
12	Moses Lake	6 compounds	Yes	132	F
13	Spanaway	6 compounds	Yes	9	C+
14	Olympia	5 compounds	Yes	66	F
15	Puyallup	5 compounds	Yes	124	F
16	Lakewood	5 compounds	Yes	5	B+
17	Fairchild Afb	5 compounds	Yes	0	B+
18	Lacey	4 compounds	No	125	F
19	Port Orchard	4 compounds	Yes	753	F
20	Mead	4 compounds	Yes	3	B-
21	Airway	4 compounds	No	2	B
22	Milton	4 compounds	No	0	B+
23	Redmond	3 compounds	Yes	4	B-
24	Snohomish	3 compounds	No	11	D
25	Camas	3 compounds	Yes	2	C
26	Washougal	3 compounds	Yes	2	B+
27	Loon Lake	3 compounds	No	14	F
28	Medical Lake	3 compounds	Yes	9	B-
29	Deer Park	3 compounds	Yes	2	D
30	Centralia	2 compounds	Yes	5	B-
31	Omak	2 compounds	No	5	D
32	Hoodsport	2 compounds	No	5	C+
33	Renton	1 compounds	No	11	D+
34	Yakima	1 compounds	No	162	F
35	Mount Vernon	1 compounds	No	191	F
36	Auburn	1 compounds	No	18	D+
37	Bremerton	1 compounds	No	13	C
38	Tumwater	1 compounds	No	24	D+
39	Buckley	1 compounds	No	5	D+
40	Pullman	1 compounds	No	0	B+
41	Spokane Valley	1 compounds	Yes	10	C-
42	Port Townsend	1 compounds	No	15	F
43	Cheney	1 compounds	No	5	A-
44	Sequim	1 compounds	No	64	F
45	Maple Valley	1 compounds	No	7	C+
46	Lynden	1 compounds	No	235	F
47	Arlington	1 compounds	No	83	F
48	Clarkston	1 compounds	No	16	B+
49	West Richland	1 compounds	No	99	F
50	Sunnyside	1 compounds	No	2	A-
51	Carlsborg	1 compounds	No	2	B-
52	Liberty Lake	1 compounds	No	2	A
53	Othello	1 compounds	No	102	D
54	Selah	1 compounds	No	4	B
55	Woodland	1 compounds	No	16	F
56	Grandview	1 compounds	No	5	D+
57	Ocean Park	1 compounds	No	6	B+
58	Ephrata	1 compounds	No	13	D
59	Edgewood	1 compounds	No	4	A-
60	Toppenish	1 compounds	No	12	F
61	College Place	1 compounds	No	23	D
62	Wapato	1 compounds	No	11	F
63	Goldendale	1 compounds	No	15	B-
64	Fircrest	1 compounds	No	4	A-
65	Prosser	1 compounds	No	42	C+
66	Union Gap	1 compounds	No	5	A
67	Moxee	1 compounds	No	2	B
68	Westport	1 compounds	No	4	D+
69	Mattawa	1 compounds	No	33	C
70	Connell	1 compounds	No	22	C+
71	Warden	1 compounds	No	9	D+
72	Granger	1 compounds	No	3	A
73	Colfax	1 compounds	No	4	B
74	Waverly	1 compounds	No	25	D
75	Seattle	0 compounds	No	138	F
76	Bellevue	0 compounds	No	2	A
77	Everett	0 compounds	No	16	D
78	Lynnwood	0 compounds	No	0	B-
79	Bellingham	0 compounds	No	54	F
80	Pasco	0 compounds	No	137	D
81	Kenmore	0 compounds	No	0	B-
82	Marysville	0 compounds	No	12	D
83	Bothell	0 compounds	No	7	F
84	Kirkland	0 compounds	No	4	D+
85	Poulsbo	0 compounds	No	95	F
86	Silverdale	0 compounds	No	17	F
87	Wenatchee	0 compounds	No	41	D
88	Woodinville	0 compounds	No	1	A-
89	Edmonds	0 compounds	No	0	A-
90	Longview	0 compounds	No	0	B+
91	Walla Walla	0 compounds	No	84	D
92	Tukwila	0 compounds	No	0	A
93	Issaquah	0 compounds	No	10	C-
94	Shelton	0 compounds	No	158	F
95	Port Angeles	0 compounds	No	19	F
96	Fife	0 compounds	No	4	A
97	Shoreline	0 compounds	No	0	A-
98	Kelso	0 compounds	No	15	F
99	Mercer Island	0 compounds	No	1	A-
100	Greenacres	0 compounds	No	12	B+
101	Monroe	0 compounds	No	4	C
102	Oak Harbor	0 compounds	No	105	F
103	East Wenatchee	0 compounds	No	19	B
104	Mountlake Terrace	0 compounds	No	0	B+
105	Ferndale	0 compounds	No	110	F
106	Mukilteo	0 compounds	No	0	A-
107	Gig Harbor	0 compounds	No	62	F
108	Enumclaw	0 compounds	No	1	B+
109	Ellensburg	0 compounds	No	19	D
110	Stanwood	0 compounds	No	31	D
111	Ridgefield	0 compounds	No	0	D
112	Hoquiam	0 compounds	No	6	B-
113	Yelm	0 compounds	No	12	D+
114	Aberdeen	0 compounds	No	10	D
115	Raymond	0 compounds	No	76	F
116	Quincy	0 compounds	No	52	D+
117	Nas Whidbey Island	0 compounds	No	0	A+
118	Montesano	0 compounds	No	17	F
119	Burien	0 compounds	No	1	B+
120	Newcastle	0 compounds	No	1	A
121	Snoqualime	0 compounds	No	4	A-
122	Sumner	0 compounds	No	0	A-
123	North Bend	0 compounds	No	7	B+
124	Duvall	0 compounds	No	0	A-
125	Chehalis	0 compounds	No	12	F
126	Dupont	0 compounds	No	0	A
127	Bainbridge Island	0 compounds	No	3	A
128	Manchester	0 compounds	No	7	A
129	Orting	0 compounds	No	1	B+
130	Chelan	0 compounds	No	18	D
131	Birch Bay	0 compounds	No	14	A
132	Steilacoom	0 compounds	No	1	A+
133	Vashon	0 compounds	No	24	F
134	Kalama	0 compounds	No	0	C+
135	Sultan	0 compounds	No	33	B
136	Elma	0 compounds	No	5	B-
137	Granite Falls	0 compounds	No	0	A-
138	Manson	0 compounds	No	1	A-
139	Friday Harbor	0 compounds	No	153	F
140	Blaine	0 compounds	No	8	A
141	Snoqualmie Pass	0 compounds	No	4	B+
142	Colville	0 compounds	No	44	D
143	Union	0 compounds	No	52	D
144	Forks	0 compounds	No	8	D
145	Des Moines	0 compounds	No	5	A-
146	Eastsound	0 compounds	No	29	F
147	Everson	0 compounds	No	8	B+
148	Maple Falls	0 compounds	No	35	D+
149	Long Beach	0 compounds	No	15	B
150	Castle Rock	0 compounds	No	2	A-
151	White Salmon	0 compounds	No	9	C+
152	Lake Forest Park	0 compounds	No	15	D+
153	Eatonville	0 compounds	No	2	A-
154	Tenino	0 compounds	No	2	B+
155	Naches	0 compounds	No	8	A
156	Goldbar	0 compounds	No	1	A
157	Joyce	0 compounds	No	10	A-
158	La Conner	0 compounds	No	1	B+

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about pfas in Washington

Does Washington tap water contain PFAS?

PFAS were detected in 74 of 158 Washington cities tested under EPA's UCMR 5 program. 26 cities exceed the 2024 EPA MCL of 4 ppt for individual PFAS compounds.

How can I remove PFAS from my drinking water in Washington?

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are the most effective at removing PFAS, typically removing 90%+ of compounds. High-quality activated carbon block filters (NSF 58-certified for RO, or NSF 53 for solid carbon) also provide significant reduction. Standard pitcher filters vary widely in PFAS removal.

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