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UTILITY

Dungeness Meadows

location

Clallam County, Washington

serves

488

source

Groundwater

data

2018-2023

Overview

EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Washington State Department of Health, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (April 2024 - June 2024), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.

LEARN ABOUT LEAD in this utility

Legal does not necessarily equal safe.

  • Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.

  • Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.

  • The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.

Contaminants Detected

EXCEED GUIDELINES OTHER DETECTED

Arsenic

Potential Effect: cancer

This Utility: 1.20 ppb

Legal Limit: 10 ppb

300x

EWG's Health Guideline: 0.004 ppb

Arsenic

Arsenic is a potent carcinogen and common contaminant in drinking water. Arsenic causes thousands of cases of cancer each year in the U.S. Click here to read more about arsenic.

more about this contaminant

Arsenic was found at 300 times above EWG's Health Guideline.

EWG Health Guideline

0.004 ppb or less

This Utility

1.2 ppb

Legal Limit

10 ppb

National Average

0.624 ppb

State Average

1 ppb

Health Risks

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.004 ppb for arsenic was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

Understanding the Data

The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2021-2023.

ppb = parts per billion
VIEW MORE TESTING DATA

Pollution Sources

Agriculture

Industry

Naturally Occurring

Filtering Options

Reverse Osmosis

Ion Exchange

Nitrate

Potential Effect: cancer

This Utility: 0.562 ppm

Legal Limit: 10 ppm

4x

EWG's Health Guideline: 0.14 ppm

Nitrate

Nitrate, a fertilizer chemical, frequently contaminates drinking water due to agricultural and urban runoff, and discharges from municipal wastewater treatment plants and septic tanks. Excessive nitrate in water can cause oxygen deprivation in infants and increase the risk of cancer. Click here to read more about nitrate.

more about this contaminant

Nitrate was found at 4 times above EWG's Health Guideline.

EWG Health Guideline

0.14 ppm or less

This Utility

0.562 ppm

Legal Limit

10 ppm

National Average

0.824 ppm

State Average

0.848 ppm

Health Risks

The EWG health guideline of 0.14 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrate and nitrite is based on the equivalent health guideline for nitrate, as defined in a peer-reviewed scientific study by EWG. This guideline represents a one-in-one-million annual cancer risk level.

Understanding the Data

The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2021-2023.

ppm = parts per million
VIEW MORE TESTING DATA

Pollution Sources

Agriculture

Runoff & Sprawl

Naturally Occurring

Filtering Options

Reverse Osmosis

Ion Exchange

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Potential Effect: cancer

This Utility: 0.27 pCi/L

Legal Limit: 5 pCi/L

5.5x

EWG's Health Guideline: 0.05 pCi/L

Radium, combined (-226 and -228)

Radium is a radioactive element that causes bone cancer and other cancers. It can occur naturally in groundwater, and oil and gas extraction activities such as hydraulic fracturing can elevate concentrations.

more about this contaminant

Radium, combined (-226 and -228) was found at 5.5 times above EWG's Health Guideline.

EWG Health Guideline

0.05 pCi/L or less

This Utility

0.27 pCi/L

Legal Limit

5 pCi/L

National Average

0.33 pCi/L

State Average

0.27 pCi/L

Health Risks

EWG applied the health guideline of 0.05 pCi/L, defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal for radium-226, to radium-226 and radium-228 combined. This health guideline protects against cancer.

Understanding the Data

The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2018-2023.

pCi/L = picocuries per liter
VIEW MORE TESTING DATA

Pollution Sources

Industry

Naturally Occurring

Filtering Options

Reverse Osmosis

Ion Exchange

Includes chemicals detected in 2021-2023 for which annual utility averages exceeded an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority; radiological contaminants detected between 2018 and 2023.

Toluene

This Utility: 3.40 ppb

Legal Limit: 1,000 ppb

EWG's Health Guideline: 150 ppb

Toluene

Toluene is a volatile solvent that harms the nervous and immune systems, damages the liver and may increase the risk of miscarriage and birth defects.

more about this contaminant

How your levels compare

EWG Health Guideline

150 ppb or less

This Utility

3.4 ppb

Legal Limit

1,000 ppb

National Average

0.00604 ppb

State Average

0.00152 ppb

Health Risks

The EWG Health Guideline of 150 ppb for toluene was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against harm to internal organs.

Understanding the Data

The state and national averages were calculated using the averages of the contaminant measurements for each utility in 2021-2023.

ppb = parts per billion
VIEW MORE TESTING DATA

Pollution Sources

Industry

Filtering Options

Activated Carbon

Reverse Osmosis

Includes chemicals detected in 2021-2023 for which annual utility averages were lower than an EWG-selected health guideline established by a federal or state public health authority.

Other Contaminants Tested

✕

Chemicals tested for but not detected:

1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,1-Dichloropropene, 1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3-Dichloropropane, 11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic aci, 2,4,5-T, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), 2,4-D, 2,4-DB, 4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA), 4:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (4:2 FTSA), 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA), 8:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (8:2 FTSA), 9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (, Acifluorfen (Blazer), Antimony, Asbestos, Barium, Bentazon (Basagran), Benzene, Benzoic acid, Beryllium, Bromobenzene, Bromochloromethane, Bromodichloromethane, Bromoform, Bromomethane, Butanoic acid, 2,2,3,3,4,4-hexafluoro-4-(trifluoro, Cadmium, Carbon tetrachloride, Chloroform, Chloromethane, Chromium (total), cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Cyanide, Dalapon, DCPA di-acid degradate, Dibromochloromethane, Dibromomethane, Dicamba, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), Dichlorprop, Dinoseb, Ethylbenzene, Ethylene dibromide, Fluoride, Hexachlorobutadiene, Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), Isopropylbenzene, Lithium, m-Dichlorobenzene, Manganese, Mercury (inorganic), Monochlorobenzene (chlorobenzene), n-Butylbenzene, N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (N, N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid, n-Propylbenzene, Naphthalene, Nitrite, Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid, o-Chlorotoluene, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Chlorotoluene, p-Dichlorobenzene, p-Isopropyltoluene, Pentachlorophenol, Perfluoro(2-ethoxyethane)sulfonic acid, Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), Perfluoroheptane sulfonic acid (PFHpS), Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHPA), Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS), Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA), Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluoropentane sulfonic acid (PFPeS), Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA), Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA), Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA), Picloram, Propanoic acid, 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-3-(trifluorome, sec-Butylbenzene, Selenium, Silver, Styrene, tert-Butylbenzene, Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), Thallium, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Trichloroethylene, Trichlorofluoromethane, Vinyl chloride, Xylenes (total)

Find A Filter

Utility: 

Dungeness Meadows
view utility

Carbon Filters

FILTERS 0 contaminants exceeding guidelines (+1 others)

Can reduce the levels of many common contaminants.

pros

  • Lower upfront cost
  • Reduced maintenance

cons

  • Does not remove all contaminants

Reverse Osmosis

FILTERS 3 contaminants exceeding guidelines (+1 others)

Can reduce the levels of many common contaminants.

pros

  • Most effective

cons

  • Higher upfront cost
  • Requires more maintenance
  • Wastes water

Other Considerations

Ion Exchange

Pros: Softens hard water, Reduces some contaminants

Cons: Doesn’t remove all contaminants

Whole-House Filters

Pros: Useful for reducing radiologicals and TCE

Cons: Expensive to install and maintain, Risk of bacterial contamination

Distillation

Pros: Removes heavy metals and harmful microbes

Cons: Does not reduce most contaminants

UNDERSTAND FILTER TECHNOLOGY

Explore filter options for each contaminant. See which technologies are effective at reducing specific contaminants to help you make an informed decision on the best water treatment solution for your needs.

CONTAMINANTS ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES activated carbon reverse osmosis ion exchange
Arsenic
Nitrate
Radium, combined (-226 & -228)
OTHER CONTAMINANTS DETECTED activated carbon reverse osmosis ion exchange
Toluene

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