Tel Company#1
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
- 210 people
- Connections
- 83
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Freeland, WA
- County
- Island
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic, above the health goal. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Arsenic, nitrate and total trihalomethanes (TTHM): Washington’s own results, samples taken from Dec. 3, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Chromium (total) and fluoride: EPA’s compliance monitoring file, samples taken from Aug. 5, 2019 to Aug. 5, 2019. Newer results are in the utility’s annual water quality report.
Above the health goal1
Arsenic
Comes from the source
7.1ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 5.0 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 7.1 ppb, in 2021: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 12.7 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 5.0 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 4.5 ppb, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits3
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.55ppm
Highest sample; found in 12 of 35
2026 average: 0.082 ppm
The highest sample, in 2022, was 0.55 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its six samples averaged 0.082 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.49 ppm, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
2.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2019
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.0 ppb, in 2019, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 4.0 ppb. That is the only year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.05ppm
Highest yearly average, 2019
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.05 ppm, in 2019, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.1 ppm. That is the only year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Lead
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
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
Claim: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
At the tap, or for the whole house?
These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. 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
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
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
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Arsenic, nitrate and total trihalomethanes (TTHM) results here are Washington’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Chromium (total) and fluoride come from EPA’s file alone, which ends in 2019. Tel Company#1’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; Washington’s results run from Dec. 3, 2020 to Aug. 4, 2026; EPA’s compliance samples are from Aug. 5, 2019 to Aug. 5, 2019.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to the area Tel Company#1 serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Precision Analytical Laboratories, LLC
Everett, WA · about 11 miles
Certified for lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Everett Environmental Laboratory
Everett, WA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Spectra Laboratories - Kitsap, LLC
Poulsbo, WA · about 21 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
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID WA5303099. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on ArsenicWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Arsenic
- Get the utility’s own reportTel Company#1 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
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs