Is Olympia, WA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Olympia · serves 126,966 people (38,115 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID WA5363450
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Olympia gets its water from City of Olympia. Parts of the city are served by 2 smaller systems: Nisqually-Leschi & West Nisqually Water System (3,200 people), Cuyamaca Water System (375 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from City of Tumwater, Lacey Water Department. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit5 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level3.4 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- 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 City of Olympia'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: 6 entry points tested Oct 2023 to Apr 2024. "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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.15 ppt 54% of the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.9 ppt 73% of the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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 | 0.0023 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.55 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 1.65 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 5 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 11 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.4 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4.2 ppb (Dec 2022).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 3.4 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 1 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2018 – Dec 2018 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 6.7 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2006 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2004 | 7.7 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Feb 2001 | 9 ppb |
| Jul 1997 – Dec 1998 | 12 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Jun 1997 | 5 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.8 ppm (Dec 1992), action level 1,300 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 | 178 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.3 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.088 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 2.05 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Olympia
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 98501, 98502, 98506, 98507
Nearby utilities
- City of Tumwater Tumwater · 4 mi
- Lacey Water Department Lacey · 5 mi
- Quistorff Water System Lacey · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- JBLM Lewis Fort Lewis · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- JBLM McChord Field Fort Lewis · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lakewood Water District Lakewood · 19 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Olympia tap water safe to drink?
Most of Olympia gets its water from City of Olympia. City of Olympia 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 Olympia water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Olympia found 5 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Olympia water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Olympia is 3.4 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 WA5363450: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WA5363450).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Olympia, 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.