Town of Pe Ell
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
- 859 people
- Connections
- 418
- Water source
- Surface water
- Based in
- Pe Ell, WA
- County
- Lewis
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Soft
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. 3 health-based violations since 2016.
What was found
Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 1.5 ppm, for the period ending Dec. 31, 1995. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.
Haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total) and fluoride: Washington’s own results, samples taken from Jan. 27, 2020 to June 22, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Below EPA’s limits3
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
54.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 50.3 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 54.2 ppb, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 100 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 50.3 ppb. EPA recorded no violation for haloacetic acids (HAA5) at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 42.8 ppb, in 2019.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
48.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 48.2 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 54.6 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 46.2 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.42ppm
Highest sample; found in 4 of 4
2023, one sample: 0.42 ppm
The highest sample, in 2023, was 0.42 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its one sample was 0.42 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.5 ppm, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
4 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Fluoride
- Lead
Hardness
Soft, 21 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, in 2020.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | Required treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) | Nov. 1, 2024 to Nov. 30, 2024 | — | Archived |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Required treatment for surface water or groundwater was not met.EPA: Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) | Oct. 1, 2021 | — | Resolved |
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | One cloudiness reading was above the maximum allowed.EPA: Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) | Feb. 1, 2020 to Feb. 29, 2020 | — | Archived |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 15 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total) and fluoride results here are Washington’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Town of Pe Ell’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 Jan. 27, 2020 to June 22, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to the area Town of Pe Ell serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Lewis County Environmental Health Laboratory
Chehalis, WA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Pacific County DCD WQ Laboratory
South Bend, WA · about 24 miles
Certified for bacteria
ALS Environmental - Kelso
Kelso, WA · about 37 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
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 Jan. 27, 2020 to Jan. 27, 2020, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID WA5366750. 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 reportTown of Pe Ell 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