City of Helix
What EPA’s and CDC’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 190 people
- Connections
- 94
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Helix, OR
- County
- Umatilla
- Owner
- Local government
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
Nothing in EPA’s and CDC’s records for this utility is above a health goal. That covers nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals, plus lead and copper, not everything. 2 health-based violations since 2016.
What was found
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5) and nitrate: Oregon’s yearly averages per water system, as CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network publishes them, 2021 to 2023, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Fluoride, arsenic, chromium (total) and uranium: EPA’s compliance monitoring file, samples taken from May 1, 2013 to Oct. 23, 2019. Newer results are in the utility’s annual water quality report.
Below EPA’s limits3
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.43ppm
Highest yearly average, 2019
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.43 ppm, in 2019, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. That is the only year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
3.9ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2023
2023 average: 3.4 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 3.9 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2023, the latest year on file, it averaged 3.4 ppb.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
2.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2023
2023: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.5 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2023, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
5 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Lead
- Nitrate
- Uranium
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | E. coli was confirmed in the water system.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) | Jan. 1, 2021 to Jan. 31, 2021 | — | Resolved |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | E. coli was confirmed in the water system.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) | Oct. 1, 2016 to Oct. 31, 2016 | — | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 12 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5) and nitrate results here are Oregon’s yearly averages as CDC publishes them, from 2021 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Fluoride, arsenic, chromium (total) and uranium come from EPA’s file alone, which ends in 2019. City of Helix’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has newer results for those and the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; CDC’s yearly averages for Oregon cover 2021 to 2023; EPA’s compliance samples are from May 1, 2013 to Oct. 23, 2019.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Oregon certifies closest to the area City of Helix serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pendleton Wastewater Treatment Plant
Pendleton, OR · about 17 miles
Certified for bacteria
Umpqua Research Company - Table Rock
Pendleton, OR · about 17 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Matrix Sciences dba KTL
Pasco, WA · about 33 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Oregon State University Extension Well Water Program: Nitrate screening of well water at many of its groundwater education events. The screening is free. Water Testing Guidance for Private Wells, OSU Well Water Program.
All 91 certified labs for OregonSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, yearly averages Oregon supplied to CDC, 2020 to 2023, read Oct. 8, 2026. TapBuff’s comparisons with EPA’s limits are its own, not CDC’s or Oregon’s.
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, drinking water labs, as listed in TNI LAMS, read Oct. 13, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID OR4100368. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Nothing here is above a health goalIn EPA’s and CDC’s records for this utility. They don’t cover everything, which is why the next step matters.Every contaminant TapBuff tracks
- Get the utility’s own reportCity of Helix must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show, and has newer results than EPA’s national file for the ones here that come from it.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded