Is Kent, WA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 8 utilities serving Kent has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Washington’s records.
Kent Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Kent Water Department is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 16 to 120 mg/L (0.9 to 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 Kent’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Kent Water Department
Washington · serves 166,421 people · about 66,800 in Kent
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 16 to 120 mg/L (0.9 to 7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Soos Creek Water & Sewer District
Washington · serves 74,172 people · about 28,900 in Kent
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Highline Water District
Washington · serves 100,170 people · about 8,900 in Kent
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 70 to 166 mg/L (4.1 to 9.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lake Meridian Water District
Washington · serves 24,231 people · about 8,100 in Kent
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 17.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Covington Water District
Washington · serves 56,172 people · about 4,800 in Kent
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 8.6 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: soft, 25 mg/L (1.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Mountain View Water District Inc
Washington · serves 91 people · nearly all in Kent
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 0.8 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Locloman Subdivision
Washington · serves 174 people · based in Kent
1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded. The worst: Arsenic at 24 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation. Hardness: soft, typically 47 mg/L (2.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lake Meridian Estates (MHP)
Washington · serves 154 people · based in Kent
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 5.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 81 mg/L (4.7 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 Kent Water Department’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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: 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 Kent
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to Kent, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
AmTest Laboratories
Renton, WA · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, disinfection byproducts
Analytical Resources, LLC
Tukwila, WA · about 9 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Aqua Test, Incorporated
Maple Valley, WA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Which ZIP codes are in Kent: 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 Kent
Other towns in King County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Kent Water Department’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