Town of Waterville
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
- 1,140 people
- Connections
- 615
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Waterville, WA
- County
- Douglas
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Varies by source
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate, above the health goal. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5), arsenic and chromium (total): Washington’s own results, samples taken from Aug. 4, 2020 to Nov. 17, 2025, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal1
Nitrate
Comes from the source
10.8ppm
Highest sample; found in 15 of 42
2025 average: 1.2 ppm
One sample, in 2025, was above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, at 10.8 ppm. No follow-up sample at that point within 30 days is on file. 10 ppm is also EPA’s health goal. That was also the latest year on file, and its 10 samples averaged 1.2 ppm. EPA recorded no violation for nitrate at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 34.8 ppm, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Below EPA’s limits3
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
9.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2025
2025, one sample: 9.1 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 9.7 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 9.1 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 6.2 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.29ppm
Highest yearly average, 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.29 ppm, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.32 ppm. That is the only year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.44 ppm, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
1.2ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2025
2025: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.2 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.3 ppb, in 2015.
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.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Lead
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: Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)
For: Nitrate
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction
For: Nitrate
Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate
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: Nitrate
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: Nitrate
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Hardness
Moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 97 to 325 mg/L (5.6 to 19 grains per gallon), across 4 sampling points, in 2025.
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 22 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Nitrate, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, haloacetic acids (HAA5), arsenic and chromium (total) results here are Washington’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Town of Waterville’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 Aug. 4, 2020 to Nov. 17, 2025.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to the area Town of Waterville serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Anatek Labs, Inc - Wenatchee
Wenatchee, WA · about 26 miles
Certified for bacteria
Soiltest Farm Consultants, Inc. Laboratory
Moses Lake, WA · about 44 miles
Certified for nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Okanogan County Public Health Laboratory
Okanogan, WA · about 48 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 Nov. 17, 2025 to Nov. 17, 2025, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID WA5393600. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on NitrateWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Nitrate
- Get the utility’s own reportTown of Waterville 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