Is Benton City Water Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Benton

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1999-01-01 → 1999-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1999-01-01 → 1999-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1999-01-01 → 1999-01-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-07-01 → 1998-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-07-01 → 1998-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-07-01 → 1998-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-07-01 → 1998-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-06-01 → 1998-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-06-01 → 1998-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1998-06-01 → 1998-06-30

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFBS	0.0045 µg/L	2/6	2023
Pfhxa	0.0055 µg/L	2/6	2023
PFHXS	0.0143 µg/L	2/6	2023
PFOS	0.0087 µg/L	2/6	2023
Pfpea	0.0053 µg/L	2/6	2023
Pfpes	0.0049 µg/L	2/6	2023

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	5406 µg/L 54% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 5520 µg/L	40/46	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	11/11	LCR	2023
Bromodichloromethane	2.555 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.6 µg/L	10/15	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromoform	18.43 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18.7 µg/L	10/15	SYR4	2013–2019
Dibromochloromethane	8.375 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8.6 µg/L	10/15	SYR4	2013–2019
TTHM	26.72 µg/L 33% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 28.7 µg/L	10/10	SYR4	2014–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	6.64 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 7 µg/L	10/10	SYR4	2014–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	5.12 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.4 µg/L	9/9	SYR4	2014–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	4952 µg/L 50% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 5090 µg/L	5/5	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	5.55 µg/L 55% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 6 µg/L	4/5	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	576.75 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 600 µg/L	4/4	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	0.5000 µg/L No EPA limit set	3/15	SYR4	2013–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	1.98 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2 µg/L	3/10	SYR4	2014–2019
Barium	104.1 µg/L 5.2% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 108 µg/L	2/4	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	9.65 µg/L 0.7% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 10 µg/L	2/4	SYR4	2012–2019
Selenium	3.615 µg/L 7.2% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L worst single sample: 3.7 µg/L	2/5	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	15.4 µg/L No EPA limit set	2/6	UCMR-5	2023
Asbestos	0.9850 MFL 14% of the EPA limit 7 MFL	1/1	SYR4	2013
Chromium	1 µg/L 1% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L	1/5	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Uranium	18.8 µg/L 63% of the EPA limit 30 µg/L	1/1	SYR4	2012
Nitrite	20 µg/L 2% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L	1/5	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	1.2 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/10	SYR4	2014–2019

79 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoLeadMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaOxamylPfbaPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: Nicholas Wade Oscarson

Frequently asked questions about Benton City Water

Is Benton City Water tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 28 contaminants in Benton City Water's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Benton City Water's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Lead, Bromodichloromethane, Bromoform, Dibromochloromethane, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Benton City Water serve?

Benton City Water reports serving 5,626 people in Washington, per its EPA record.

Has Benton City Water had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 72 violations on file for Benton City Water, of which 42 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.