In your Home (Information for Consumers)
Links on this page are mainly intended for consumers. For information for Water Systems, see Programs and Services for Drinking Water Systems.
The mission of the Office of Drinking Water is to work with others to protect the health of the people of Washington state by ensuring safe and reliable drinking water.
More than 6.2 million Washington residents get their drinking water from a Group A or Group B public water system. That's 85 percent of the state's population. About 725,000 Washington residents get their drinking water from individual private wells and are regulated by local health jurisdictions. Public water systems must test drinking water for contaminants that can cause health problems. They also must provide their customers with a yearly Consumer Confidence Report that includes information about the quality of their drinking water. For acute health risks, such as bacterial contamination, water systems must notify their customers within 24 hours.
Read Overview of the Office of Drinking Water. If you don't see what you need in our listing below, please use the search tool at the top of the page or email the Office of Drinking Water.
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Contaminants—information on some of the more common contaminants that are sometimes found in drinking water, including PFAS.
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Emergency Publications for Consumers—includes an Emergency Resource Guide, local health department contacts, and more.
- Private wells—information for private well owners.
- Water on Tap: What you need to know EPA 816-K-09-002 (PDF)
- Arsenic and Your Private Well 334-156 (PDF)
- Private Well Water—Coliform Bacteria and Nitrate Information for Private Well Owners 333-171 (PDF)
- Private Wells—Information for Owners 331-349 (PDF)
- Free Online Program Educates Homeowners with Water Wells.
Homeowners in small communities and rural areas without a public water supply often don't fully understand how to manage, operate, and protect their private well. Here is a new nationwide training initiative funded by the Rural Community Assistance Partnership through a grant from EPA. The Private Well Class is a free, step-by-step education program to help well owners understand groundwater basics, well care best practices, and how to find assistance. - The Washington State Department of Ecology regulates the minimum standards for well construction in Washington, and also accredits laboratories that test water (PDF). More information is available on the Department of Ecology's Drinking Water page.
- Alternative Drinking Water Program
- Funding is available to help those with individual wells and Group B water systems impacted by drinking water contaminants. Read the flyer for more information.
- Application for Project Funding.
Contact Us. Our Offices and Staff webpage has links to our regional offices and a map showing which counties each region supports.