Rustic Ridge
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
- 221 people
- Connections
- 98
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Othello, WA
- County
- Spokane
- Owner
- Private
- Hardness
- Hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
Nothing in EPA’s and Washington’s records for this utility is above a health goal. That covers nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals, plus lead and copper, not everything. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What was found
Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), arsenic, chromium (total), fluoride and haloacetic acids (HAA5): Washington’s own results, samples taken from April 22, 2021 to Aug. 3, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Below EPA’s limits2
Nitrate
Comes from the source
5.6ppm
Highest sample; found in 8 of 8
2026, one sample: 3.1 ppm
The highest sample, in 2023, was 5.6 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 3.1 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 4.5 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
6.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
2024, one sample: 0.25 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 6.7 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.25 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.72 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
5 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Fluoride
- Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- Lead
Hardness
Hard, typically 136 mg/L (7.9 grains per gallon), across 2 sampling points, 2021 to 2023.
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
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 10 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), arsenic, chromium (total), fluoride and haloacetic acids (HAA5) results here are Washington’s own from 2021 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Rustic Ridge’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 April 22, 2021 to Aug. 3, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to the area Rustic Ridge serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Tshimakain Creek Laboratories
Spokane Valley, WA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Anatek Labs, Inc - Spokane
Spokane, WA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Eurofins Spokane
Spokane Valley, WA · about 20 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
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 June 7, 2021 to May 18, 2023, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID WA5372935. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Nothing here is above a health goalIn EPA’s and Washington’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 reportRustic Ridge 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
- 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