Public water system · WA5305600
ActiveBellingham-Water Division City of
At a glance
City of Bellingham-Water Division (PWSID WA5305600) is an active community water system in Whatcom County, Washington. It reports serving 141,127 people through 28,187 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2010.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
141,127
Service connections
28,187
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Bellingham-Water Division compare with other water systems in Whatcom County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Bellingham-Water Division is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Whatcom County has 183 active public water systems, and City of Bellingham-Water Division is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 98 times the county average of 1,437 people per system, and accounts for 54% of the 263,011 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Washington, the 4,705 active systems average 2,172 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so City of Bellingham-Water Division is about 21 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Washington has 2,392 active community water systems, 51% of the state's 4,705 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 140 Washington systems (3%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Bellingham-Water Division?
EPA lists City of Bellingham-Water Division as owned by a local government. The WA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 28 of the 183 active systems in Whatcom County (15%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Bellingham-Water Division have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2010. The violations listed here began between May 1994 and October 2010. By type: 12 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (12 of them). EPA lists 11 as archived and 1 as resolved. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-10-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1995-03-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1995-02-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1995-01-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-12-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-11-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-10-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-09-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-08-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-07-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-06-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
| 1994-05-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Archived |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first. Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
City of Bellingham-Water Division: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Bellingham-Water Division?
City of Bellingham-Water Division (PWSID WA5305600) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the WA state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Bellingham-Water Division serve?
City of Bellingham-Water Division reports serving 141,127 people through 28,187 service connections in Whatcom County, Washington.
Where does City of Bellingham-Water Division get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does City of Bellingham-Water Division have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2010. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is City of Bellingham-Water Division's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 12 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2010. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the WA state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Bellingham-Water Division's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Bellingham-Water Division must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Whatcom County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynden Water Department | Whatcom | 20,062 | Community | Surface water |
| Ferndale | Whatcom | 19,305 | Community | Groundwater |
| Lwwsd - South Shore Water System | Whatcom | 10,028 | Community | Surface water |
| Birch Bay Water & Sewer District | Whatcom | 9,046 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Blaine City of | Whatcom | 6,319 | Community | Groundwater |
| Everson City of | Whatcom | 3,893 | Community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Bellingham-Water Division City of, PWSID WA5305600, Washington”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/washington/bellingham-water-division-city-of-wa5305600 (data as of October 1, 2026).