Hartwood Water System
What EPA’s and Washington’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
- 95 people
- Connections
- 42
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Port Orchard, WA
- County
- Pierce
- Owner
- Private
- Hardness
- Soft
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic, above the health goal. 7 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2002 to 2023.
Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), chromium (total), fluoride and nitrate: Washington’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 21, 2020 to Aug. 26, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal2
Arsenic
Comes from the source
7.4ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 6.1 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 7.4 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 13.4 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its seven samples averaged 6.1 ppb. EPA recorded no violation for arsenic at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 15 ppb, in 2012, and EPA recorded violations in 2018 and 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
0.7ppb
90th percentile, 2021 to 2023
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 0.7 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits2
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
6.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
2023: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 6.6 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2023, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
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
3.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
2023: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 3.7 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2023, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Chromium (total)
- Fluoride
- Nitrate
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claims: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Lead Reduction
For: Arsenic, Lead
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Lead Reduction
For: Arsenic, Lead
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
At the tap, or for the whole house?
Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Hardness
Soft, 46 mg/L (2.7 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, in 2021.
Hardness is calcium and magnesium. EPA sets no limit for it: it shows up as scale on fixtures and in water heaters, and as soap that won’t lather. USGS calls water above 60 mg/L moderately hard, above 120 hard and above 180 very hard.
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019 | 0.011 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2019 | 0.013 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019 | 0.013 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Jan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019 | 0.016 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | Oct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018 | 0.015 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | July 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2018 | 0.015 MG/L | Resolved |
| Arsenic | A sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample | April 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 | 0.015 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 1 monitoring or reporting violation not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Arsenic, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), chromium (total), fluoride and nitrate results here are Washington’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Hartwood Water System’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has 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; Washington’s results run from Feb. 21, 2020 to Aug. 26, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to the area Hartwood Water System serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Water Management Laboratories, Inc.
Tacoma, WA · about 15 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Thurston County Health Department Laboratory
Olympia, WA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Olympic Analytical LLC dba Vanguard Laboratory
Olympia, WA · about 24 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Washington State Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water, results from Jan. 1, 2020 to Sept. 29, 2026, read Oct. 8, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Washington State Department of Ecology, Lab Accreditation Program, environmental laboratories accredited for drinking water analyses, read Oct. 10, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Hardness: Washington State Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water, results from May 24, 2021 to May 24, 2021, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID WA5331575. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 2 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Arsenic
- Get the utility’s own reportHartwood Water System must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.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
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs