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Is Bellingham, WA tap water safe?

15 utilities serve Bellingham, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and Washington’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

3 of the 15 utilities serving Bellingham have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Washington’s records: Mount Baker Water Association, Mount Baker Mobile Home Park and Smith Road Water Association.

City of Bellingham - Water Division, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.4 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.

The water from City of Bellingham - Water Division is soft, 20 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon). How Washington’s water compares.

A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Bellingham’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

5 more utilities in Bellingham

By EPA’s estimate, each serves fewer people in Bellingham than those above.

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Bellingham - Water Division’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.

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Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Bellingham

A utility tests the water it sends out. A test of your own tap shows what your pipes add, and on a private well it is the only test there is. It takes a lab Washington certifies.

The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to Bellingham, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Exact Scientific Services, Inc.

    Ferndale, WA · about 11 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts

    (360) 733-1205

  • Eurofins DW and WW West, Washington Laboratory

    Burlington, WA · about 18 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics, disinfection byproducts

    (360) 757-1400

  • Freshwater Analytical Labs, LLC

    Arlington, WA · about 43 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (360) 913-7542

All 84 certified labs for Washington

ZIP codes in Bellingham

Which ZIP codes are in Bellingham: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Washington State Department of Ecology, Lab Accreditation Program, environmental laboratories accredited for drinking water analyses; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.

Near Bellingham

Other towns in Whatcom County with a page of their own.

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