Tap Water Results

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.
What you can do

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.

ContaminantHighest averageHighest resultLimitStatus
PFOA
Not detected
Limit 4 ppt
––4 pptNot detected
PFOS
Not detected
Limit 4 ppt
––4 pptNot detected
PFHxS
Detected, below limit
Limit 10 ppt
1.55 ppt
16% of the limit
3.1 ppt10 pptDetected, below limit
PFNA
Not detected
Limit 10 ppt
––10 pptNot detected
HFPO-DA (GenX)
Not detected
Limit 10 ppt
––10 pptNot detected
Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit)
Detected, below limit
Limit 1
0.150.311Detected, below limit
PFBS
Detected, below limit
Guideline 2,000 ppt
1.65 ppt4.2 ppt2,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFBA
Not detected
Guideline 6,000 ppt
––6,000 ppt guidelineNot detected
PFHxA
Detected, below limit
Guideline 3,000 ppt
1.55 ppt9.8 ppt3,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFPeA
Detected, no limit
0 ppt18.8 pptnoneDetected, no limit

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 periodLead (90th pct.)
Jul 2016 – Dec 20166 ppb
Jan 2012 – Dec 20146 ppb
Jan 2009 – Dec 20114 ppb
Earlier results (9)
Jan 2006 – Dec 20086 ppb
Jan 2005 – Dec 20054 ppb
Jan 2002 – Dec 20048 ppb
Jan 1999 – Dec 20013 ppb
Jan 1996 – Dec 19982 ppb
Jul 1995 – Dec 19953 ppb
Jan 1994 – Dec 19947 ppb
Jan 1993 – Jun 19936 ppb
Jul 1992 – Dec 199210 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

0
Health-based since 2016
4
Monitoring/reporting since 2016
0
Health-based unresolved now
34
Total ever recorded, incl. paperwork

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)

ContaminantHighestGuidelineDetectedTested
Manganese71.6 ppb300 ppb18 of 24UCMR 4 (2020)
Chromium-60.54 ppb–33 of 40UCMR 3 (2015)
Chlorate870 ppb210 ppb36 of 40UCMR 3 (2015)
Vanadium6.4 ppb21 ppb35 of 40UCMR 3 (2015)
1,4-Dioxane0.076 ppb0.35 ppb1 of 26UCMR 3 (2015)
Strontium0.13 ppm1.5 ppm40 of 40UCMR 3 (2015)

Where it serves

Lacey

ZIP codes the system reported serving: 98503, 98506, 98513, 98516

Nearby utilities

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:

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.