Water Quality Report · Updated May 12, 2026
CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES
CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES delivers tap water graded F (51/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 153,526 residents in VANCOUVER, Washington using groundwater. The most significant water quality concerns are: PFAS contamination; Total PFOS and PFOA significantly above health guideline; Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) significantly above health guideline; Arsenic significantly above health guideline.
Is VANCOUVER tap water safe to drink?
CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES delivers tap water that earns a grade of F (51/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a poor rating, with significant contamination concerns and/or recent violations.
The utility serves 153,526 residents in VANCOUVER, drawing from groundwater.
Public testing data identifies 19 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Total PFOS and PFOA, Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS), Arsenic, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Dibromoacetic acid, Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Dibromochloromethane, Bromodichloromethane, Chromium (hexavalent), Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Radium, combined (-226 and -228), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Trichloroacetic acid, Dichloroacetic acid, Bromoform, Nitrate and nitrite, Chloroform, Nitrate, Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). For most residents, a properly certified home filter at the kitchen tap is the most cost-effective way to reduce exposure to whatever's in your water. See our filter recommendations below, matched specifically to this utility's contaminant profile.
Quick actions for VANCOUVER residents
Top concerns in this water
Based on the most recent EPA and EWG data, these are the most significant water quality issues for CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES.
PFAS contamination
Severe concernPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Total PFOS and PFOA detected. PFAS are persistent chemicals linked to cancer and immune effects with no known safe exposure threshold.
Total PFOS and PFOA significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernTotal PFOS and PFOA detected at 12.0 ppt, 1720x above the EWG health guideline of 0.007 ppt.
Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernPerfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) detected at 0.273 ppt, 273x above the EWG health guideline of 0.001 ppt.
Arsenic significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 0.752 ppb, 188x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.
Contact CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES
Reach the utility directly for service issues, water quality concerns, or to request your Consumer Confidence Report.
General Contact
Treatment Plant
Recommended water filters for VANCOUVER
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in this water supply.
Reverse Osmosis or NSF P473 certified carbon
$80-$750Activated carbon and RO are the only technologies proven to remove PFAS at certified levels.
Reverse Osmosis
$249-$750Arsenic is most effectively removed by reverse osmosis. Some specialized adsorptive filters also work.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
Score breakdown
This utility's overall score of 51/100 breaks down across five weighted components. Read the full methodology →
Contaminants detected — international standards comparison
Every contaminant detected, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal (the strictest US benchmark). Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total PFOS and PFOA PFAS |
12.0 ppt | 0.007 | — | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | 1720× over |
| Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) PFAS |
0.273 ppt | 0.001 | 10.0 | — | — | — | — | 273× over |
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
0.752 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 188× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
10.4 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 69× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
1.45 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 48× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
2.84 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 28× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
2.65 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 27× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
1.55 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 26× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.446 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 22× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
0.513 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 8.6× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228) Radiological |
0.31 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 6.2× over |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) PFAS |
0.432 ppt | 0.09 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | 4.8× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.283 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2.8× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.508 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2.5× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
1.19 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 2.4× over |
| Nitrate and nitrite Inorganic |
0.283 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 2.0× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
0.756 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.9× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.219 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 1.6× over |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) PFAS |
0.449 ppt | 0.3 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 1 | — | 1.5× over |
| Vanadium Other |
11.3 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
90.3 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 1,4-Dioxane Semi-volatile organic compound |
0.036 ppb | 0.35 | — | — | 50 | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese Heavy metal |
9.03 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
0.152 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 1,1-Dichloroethane Volatile organic compound |
0.00158 ppb | 3.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
0.202 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
0.129 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) PFAS |
0.202 ppt | 2000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.106 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chlorodifluoromethane Other |
0.0245 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.0345 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| PFOS + PFOA + PFHxS + PFNA PFAS |
23.7 ppt | — | — | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | Below guideline |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines (4th ed.), California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
CLARK PUBLIC UTILITIES service area
This water system serves 1 community in Clark County, Washington. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.
Find the right filter for VANCOUVER water
Browse filter categories by water-quality concern. Each option below is NSF-certified for the matched contaminant type.