Is Seattle tap water safe to drink?

Is Seattle tap water safe to drink? Where it comes from

EPA's facility list for Seattle Public Utilities shows 2 river or lake intakes and 4 active wells in use, with 4 treatment facilities. It also receives water from Renton City of.

Violations on file for Seattle Public Utilities

EPA's file for Seattle Public Utilities has no health-based violation between January 2016 and October 2026. State inspectors made 13 recorded visits in that time, the latest a full sanitary survey in July 2025.

Lead results for Seattle Public Utilities

EPA holds 8 rounds of home tap sampling for Seattle Public Utilities, from December 2018 to December 2025. The 90th percentile ranged from 1.6 to 4 ppb, with no clear change between the earlier and later rounds. All 8 rounds stayed under the 15 ppb action level.

PFAS in Seattle Public Utilities's samples

8 samples from June 2023 to December 2023 were checked for 29 PFAS compounds. None was found. Neither PFOA nor PFOS, the two compounds with a federal limit, was found.

Seattle water quality compared with other US cities

We compared the EPA file of Seattle Public Utilities with those of 85 other US cities. 22 cities have more health-based violations since 2016 than Seattle Public Utilities, and none has fewer. On lead, 38 reported a lower latest result and 46 a higher one. In PFAS testing, 59 had more compounds detected.

Radon in King County

King County is in EPA radon Zone 3 (low potential). The Washington radon page lists every county.

Check your ZIP code