Water Quality Report · Updated May 12, 2026
SPOKANE CITY OF
SPOKANE CITY OF delivers tap water graded F (48/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 343,167 residents in Spokane, Washington using groundwater. The most significant water quality concerns are: PFAS contamination; Arsenic significantly above health guideline; Total PFOS and PFOA significantly above health guideline; Radon significantly above health guideline.
Is Spokane tap water safe to drink?
SPOKANE CITY OF delivers tap water that earns a grade of F (48/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a poor rating, with significant contamination concerns and/or recent violations.
The utility serves 343,167 residents in Spokane, drawing from groundwater.
Public testing data identifies 13 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Arsenic, Total PFOS and PFOA, Radon, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Chromium (hexavalent), Nitrate, Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Nitrate and nitrite, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Radium, combined (-226 and -228). 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 Spokane residents
Top concerns in this water
Based on the most recent EPA and EWG data, these are the most significant water quality issues for SPOKANE CITY OF.
PFAS contamination
Severe concernPerfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) detected. PFAS are persistent chemicals linked to cancer and immune effects with no known safe exposure threshold.
Arsenic significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 3.19 ppb, 797x above the EWG health guideline of 0.004 ppb.
Total PFOS and PFOA significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernTotal PFOS and PFOA detected at 5.05 ppt, 722x above the EWG health guideline of 0.007 ppt.
Radon significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernRadon detected at 398.0 pCi/L, 265x above the EWG health guideline of 1.5 pCi/L.
Contact SPOKANE CITY OF
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 Spokane
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 48/100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic Heavy metal |
3.19 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 797× over |
| Total PFOS and PFOA PFAS |
5.05 ppt | 0.007 | — | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | 722× over |
| Radon Radiological |
398.0 pCi/L | 1.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 265× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
2.19 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 15× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.26 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 13× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
1.72 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 12× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
0.557 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 9.3× over |
| Nitrate and nitrite Inorganic |
1.23 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 8.8× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
0.469 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 7.8× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
0.718 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 7.2× over |
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) PFAS |
0.407 ppt | 0.09 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 0.007 | — | 4.5× over |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) PFAS |
1.33 ppt | 0.3 | 4.0 | 100 | 100 | 1 | — | 4.4× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228) Radiological |
0.16 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 3.3× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
0.355 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
0.227 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Antimony Heavy metal |
0.473 ppb | 1.0 | 6.0 | 10 | 20 | 1 | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
19.7 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
0.732 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
0.184 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
1.31 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) PFAS |
0.572 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
0.537 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) PFAS |
0.733 ppt | 2000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.102 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chlorodifluoromethane Other |
0.0142 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| PFOS + PFOA + PFHxS + PFNA PFAS |
5.05 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.
SPOKANE CITY OF service area
This water system serves 1 community in Spokane County, Washington. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.
Find the right filter for Spokane water
Browse filter categories by water-quality concern. Each option below is NSF-certified for the matched contaminant type.