Lacey Water Department water quality
Lacey, WA · serves 105,178 people (34,858 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID WA5343500
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from City of Olympia. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No limits exceeded in the data EPA has, but the record is incomplete: no lead results since 2016.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit4 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Out of dateEPA's national database has no lead results for this system since 2016 (then 6 ppb, 90th percentile). Systems this size normally test every one to three years, so this most likely means newer results were not reported to EPA, not that testing stopped. Ask the utility for its latest results.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Lacey Water Department's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 12 entry points tested Dec 2023 to Nov 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 1.55 ppt 16% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.15 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.65 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 1.55 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 0 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 4 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 22 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 6 ppb lead (Jul 2016 – Dec 2016). No results since 2016
This is the newest lead result in EPA's national database. Utilities report lead results to their state, and states pass them to EPA. Gaps like this usually mean the newer results did not reach EPA's database, not that the utility stopped testing. Results this old may not reflect the water today. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program for the latest lead monitoring.
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2016 – Dec 2016 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 4 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1998 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 1995 – Dec 1995 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Jun 1993 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 10 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 71.6 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.54 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 870 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 6.4 ppb | 21 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.076 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.13 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 98503, 98506, 98513, 98516
Nearby utilities
- Quistorff Water System Lacey · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Olympia Olympia · 5 mi
- City of Tumwater Tumwater · 7 mi
- JBLM Lewis Fort Lewis · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- JBLM McChord Field Fort Lewis · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lakewood Water District Lakewood · 15 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Lacey Water Department water safe to drink?
Lacey Water Department has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Lacey Water Department water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Lacey Water Department found 4 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Lacey Water Department water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Lacey Water Department is 6 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2016, which is more than five years old. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for WA5343500: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WA5343500).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Lacey Water Department, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.