City of Vancouver water quality
Vancouver, WA · serves 373,047 people (113,388 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID WA5391200
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 10.8 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 18.4 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level2.2 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 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- 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.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Vancouver's 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: 10 entry points tested May 2023 to May 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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 10.8 ppt 2.71× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 18.4 ppt 4.59× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 6.1 ppt 61% 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 | 0.61 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 7.3 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 7.1 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 6.9 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.5 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: The City of Vancouver says construction of a PFAS filter treatment system at Water Station 14 was scheduled to start Sept. 22, 2026, with completion expected by the end of 2027. Systems for Water Stations 4, 9, 3 and 1 are in design.
Source: PFAS Mitigation | City of Vancouver. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 99% of the Washington systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 99% of the Washington systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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 20 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2.2 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 1.7 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 1.6 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2011 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1998 – Dec 1998 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Dec 1997 | 3.7 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 5 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.4 ppm (Jun 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 | 1.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.25 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Vanadium | 9.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 89 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.15 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.73 ppb | – |
Where it serves
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 98660, 98661, 98662, 98664, 98665, 98668
Nearby utilities
- Clark Public Utilities Vancouver · same area · PFAS above limit
- Camas Municipal Water Sewer System Camas · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Washougal Washougal · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Longview Water Department Longview · 39 mi
- Centralia Public Works – Water Centralia · 77 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Tumwater Tumwater · 95 mi
Questions
Is City of Vancouver water safe to drink?
City of Vancouver has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. 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 City of Vancouver water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Vancouver found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 10.8 ppt, PFOS 18.4 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in City of Vancouver water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Vancouver is 2.2 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. 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 WA5391200: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WA5391200).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Vancouver's 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 Vancouver 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.