Is Desert Aire, WA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Desert Aire has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Washington’s records: City of Mattawa.
City of Mattawa, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 0.1 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Mattawa is moderately hard, 61 mg/L (3.6 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 Desert Aire’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Mattawa
Washington · serves 5,370 people · under 100 in Desert Aire
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 0.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 61 mg/L (3.6 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Desert Aire Owner Assn
Washington · serves 2,856 people · under 100 in Desert Aire
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 0.87 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 85 mg/L (5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of Mattawa’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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
Water testing near Desert Aire
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to Desert Aire, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Ag Health Laboratories, Inc.
Sunnyside, WA · about 17 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
AV Labs, Inc
Othello, WA · about 25 miles
Certified for bacteria
Energy Northwest Environmental Services Lab
Richland, WA · about 34 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
ZIP codes in Desert Aire
Which ZIP codes are in Desert Aire: 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 Desert Aire
Other towns in Grant County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Mattawa’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water