Is Ocean City, WA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Ocean City has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Washington’s records.
Ocean Shores Water Dept, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 6.3 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
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 Ocean City’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Ocean Shores Water Dept
Washington · serves 9,347 people · about 1,600 in Ocean City
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 6.3 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Ocean City
Washington · serves 237 people · under 100 in Ocean City
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 6.3 ppb, above the health goal.
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 Ocean Shores Water Dept’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 Ocean City
The 3 labs Washington certifies closest to Ocean City, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Grays Harbor County Water Testing Lab
Montesano, WA · about 29 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Pacific County DCD WQ Laboratory
South Bend, WA · about 34 miles
Certified for bacteria
Olympic Analytical LLC dba Vanguard Laboratory
Olympia, WA · about 53 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
ZIP codes in Ocean City
Which ZIP codes are in Ocean City: 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 Ocean City
Other towns in Grays Harbor County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Ocean Shores Water Dept’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