Is there PFAS in City of Tacoma Water Division water?
Yes, at low levels. 2 PFAS were detected, all below EPA's 2024 limits.
City of Tacoma Water Division
Serves 446,170 people · 8 PFOA samples from 3 sampling points · Jan 2025 to Oct 2025
PFAS found, below EPA limits
PFOA Perfluorooctanoic acid
not detected
PFOS Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid
not detected
PFHxS Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid
5.1 ppt avg
Hazard index GenX, PFBS, PFNA, PFHxS combined
0.5 avg
Also detected, no federal limit: PFBS.
City of Tacoma Water Division is a public water system drawing on surface water, based in Tacoma, Washington, serving about 446,170 people, including Enumclaw, Federal Way, Ravensdale, Buckley, Orting, Puyallup. Under EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule it was tested for 29 PFAS and lithium 8 times across 3 sampling points between Jan 2025 and Oct 2025.
Every PFAS detected
Not detected: 6:2 FTS, 11Cl-PF3OUdS, 9Cl-PF3ONS, ADONA, HFPO-DA, PFUnA, PFBA, PFHpS, PFPeS, NFDHA, PFEESA, PFHxA, PFPeA, NMeFOSAA, PFMPA, 8:2 FTS, PFMBA, NEtFOSAA, 4:2 FTS, PFTrDA, PFDoA, PFHpA, PFNA, PFOS, PFOA, PFDA, PFTA.
Lithium, tested in the same program: not detected.
What the EPA limits mean here
In April 2024 EPA set enforceable limits of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX, and a hazard index of 1 for mixtures. Utilities were given until 2029 to comply. In May 2026 EPA proposed keeping only the PFOA and PFOS limits and moving that deadline to 2031. Until that proposal is final, the 2024 limits stand.
Compliance is judged on a running annual average at each entry point, so we show the average at this system's worst sampling point next to its single highest result. UCMR 5 results do not by themselves put a utility in or out of compliance.
What you can do at home
Levels here are under EPA's limits, so no treatment is required. If you want them lower anyway, a certified reverse osmosis system under the sink handles drinking water, and a whole-house carbon filter also takes out the chlorine or chloramine your utility adds.
Other systems in Washington
All 248 tested systems in Washington
ZIP codes served
98022 98023 98051 98321 98360 98371 98373 98374 98375 98387 98391 98402 98403 98404 98405 98406 98407 98408 98409 98416 98418 98421 98422 98424 98443 98444 98445 98446 98465 98466 98467 98499
As reported by the utility to EPA. Neighbouring ZIPs are often split between systems; your water bill names yours.
Cite this page
Well & Tap. "PFAS in City of Tacoma Water Division water: EPA UCMR 5 results." Data: U.S. EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, final release August 2026, PWSID WA5386800. https://wellandtap.com/pfas/washington/city-of-tacoma-water-division/
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA, UCMR 5 occurrence data, final release August 2026 (PWSID WA5386800). Population: EPA SDWIS. Averages count results below the reporting level as zero, the same convention EPA uses for running annual averages. Full method.
