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Is Elk Plain, WA tap water safe?

13 utilities serve Elk Plain, 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

None of the 13 utilities serving Elk Plain has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Washington’s records.

Southwood, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 8.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.

The water from Southwood is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 30 to 101 mg/L (1.8 to 5.9 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 Elk Plain’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

3 more utilities in Elk Plain

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

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Southwood’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 Elk Plain

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 Elk Plain, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Water Management Laboratories, Inc.

    Tacoma, WA · about 12 miles

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

    (253) 531-3121

  • Thurston County Health Department Laboratory

    Olympia, WA · about 26 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate

    (360) 867-2631

  • AmTest Laboratories

    Renton, WA · about 30 miles

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

    (425) 885-1664

All 84 certified labs for Washington

ZIP codes in Elk Plain

Which ZIP codes are in Elk Plain: 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 Elk Plain

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

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