Is Tacoma, WA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Tacoma Water Division · serves 446,245 people (155,578 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID WA5386800
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit2 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level0 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 Tacoma Water Division's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 3 entry points tested Jan 2025 to Oct 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 | 5.1 ppt 51% 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 | 0.51 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 1.65 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 2 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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2.1 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 1 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2.1 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 14 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2007 | 11 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2005 | 13 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 12 ppb |
| Jul 1998 – Dec 1998 | 5.4 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Jun 1998 | 11 ppb |
| Jul 1997 – Dec 1997 | 8.5 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.57 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 | 40 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.12 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 3.5 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 220 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.31 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Tacoma
33 ZIP codes the system reported serving
98022, 98023, 98051, 98321, 98360, 98371, 98373, 98374, 98375, 98387, 98391, 98402, 98403, 98404, 98405, 98406, 98407, 98408, 98409, 98411, 98416, 98418, 98421, 98422, 98424, 98443, 98444, 98445, 98446, 98465, 98466, 98467, 98499
Nearby utilities
- Lakewood Water District Lakewood · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lakehaven Water and Sewer District Federal Way · 7 mi
- Parkland Light & Water Company Parkland · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Puyallup Puyallup · 9 mi
- Spanaway Water Company Spanaway · 11 mi · PFAS above limit
- JBLM Lewis Fort Lewis · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Tacoma tap water safe to drink?
Most of Tacoma gets its water from City of Tacoma Water Division. City of Tacoma Water Division 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 Tacoma water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Tacoma Water Division found 2 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Tacoma water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Tacoma Water Division is 0 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 WA5386800: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WA5386800).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Tacoma Water Division's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026).
- City of Tacoma Water Division website
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.