The Office of Drinking Water
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Mission
Our mission is to protect the health of the people of Washington by
ensuring safe and reliable drinking water. More than 5.5 million Washington
residents get their drinking water from a
Group A or Group B (PDF)
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 (PDF) and are
regulated by local health jurisdictions.
We regulate Group A public water systems under state law and a
formal agreement with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for carrying out the federal Safe
Drinking Water Act, which establishes minimum standards for drinking water
quality.
Emergency response
Our highest priority is responding to actual or potential
public health emergencies.
Emergencies include water outages, water main breaks, water system
distribution or water quality problems, earthquakes, floods, power outages,
windstorms, vandalism, or terrorism. Contamination of drinking water
supplies can come from bacteria, chemicals, or other sources.
We work closely with the water system, the community, and the local health
jurisdiction to get drinking water operations back to normal. Our technical
staff is available to water systems 24 hours a day during an emergency.
Preventing problems
Our rules and programs rely on prevention as the first line of defense,
with a goal of avoiding potentially health-threatening and costly problems.
Water system inspections (sanitary
surveys) look at all aspects of water system operations, including water
sources, pumps, storage tanks, treatment units, filtration plants, water
monitoring records, and technical,
financial, and managerial capacity.
Waterworks operator certification,
training, and continuing
education programs ensure that the people operating public water systems are
qualified and capable.
Technical assistance programs,
grant and loan programs, and construction plan reviews help us ensure
proper design and operation of water systems. Ongoing source and
distribution monitoring helps water systems detect contamination and resolve
problems quickly. Our source water
protection program focuses water utilities on maintaining, safeguarding,
and improving the quality and quantity of their source water to prevent
contamination and the loss of supply.
Our planning program
helps water systems evaluate their overall
technical, financial, and managerial
capacity, identify current and future challenges, and establish
policies, practices, and financial strategies to address them. Our
water use efficiency program helps
water systems protect against temporary water service interruptions during
peak usage, long-term or repeated water disruptions due to limited water
supply, and contamination of the water supply due to leaky pipes. Our
enforcement strategies help to ensure that water systems address risks in a
timely manner.
Keeping customers informed
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. For more information
Toll-Free Numbers:
Main Office (800) 521-0323
Operator Certification Program (800) 525-2536
After-Hours Emergency Line (for water systems and operators)
(877) 481-4901
Regional Offices
Our regional offices provide technical assistance to water systems and
local health jurisdictions, implement the state's drinking water programs,
monitor water quality, conduct sanitary surveys and special purpose
investigations, and review and approve water system plans.
Serving Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry,
Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend
Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima counties.
Island, King, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom
counties.
Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Lewis,
Mason, Pacific, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties.
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