TapBuff
ZIP
Menu

Ephrata Water DepartmentWater quality report

Serves
8,718
Connections
3,708
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Ephrata, WA
County
Grant
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

98823

PWSID WA5323650 · EPA data

Read this first

  • Lithium was found in two of 10 samples, highest 25 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

No health-based violations on file since 2016. EPA lists 14 monitoring or reporting violations, which are paperwork and testing lapses rather than water quality findings.

What was found, stop by stop

  • Below the health goal
  • Above the health goal
  • Above the legal limit
  • No federal data

  1. At the source

    EPA UCMR 5 sampled this utility for 29 PFAS and lithium from April 23, 2025 to Oct. 21, 2025. Each tick under a result’s line is one sample where it was found, dated when you point at it.

  2. Lithium

    Above EPA’s health benchmark

    25ppb

    Highest of 10 samples; found in two

    Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

    What handles it: No certification claim covers this compound yet.

  3. In treatment

    No federal results for this stop. Disinfection byproduct, chlorine and fluoride levels are in Ephrata Water Department’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.

  4. In the pipes

    No lead and copper results on file with EPA for this utility.

  5. At your tap

    The last stretch is your own plumbing. A certified lab test is the only way to know what reaches your glass. Lead in your water: what to do

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from April 23, 2025 to Oct. 21, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 30 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 14 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Ephrata Water Department’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • 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.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from April 23, 2025 to Oct. 21, 2025.

Other Washington utilities

All Washington utilities

Sources

What to do next

  1. About Lithium

    What each marked result does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

  2. Read the utility’s own report

    Ephrata Water Department must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

  4. NSF/ANSI standards, decoded

    A filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.