Is Ephrata, WA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Ephrata has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Washington’s records.
Ephrata Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 25 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Ephrata Water Department is moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 93 to 132 mg/L (5.4 to 7.7 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 Ephrata’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Ephrata Water Department
Washington · serves 8,718 people · about 300 in Ephrata
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 25 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 93 to 132 mg/L (5.4 to 7.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Painted Hills Water Association
Washington · serves 70 people · under 100 in Ephrata
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 221 mg/L (12.9 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 Ephrata Water Department’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 Ephrata
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to Ephrata, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Soiltest Farm Consultants, Inc. Laboratory
Moses Lake, WA · about 20 miles
Certified for nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Anatek Labs, Inc - Wenatchee
Wenatchee, WA · about 33 miles
Certified for bacteria
AV Labs, Inc
Othello, WA · about 41 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Ephrata
Which ZIP codes are in Ephrata: 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 Ephrata
Other towns in Douglas County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Ephrata Water Department’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water