Public water system · WA5314000
ActiveColfax Water Department City of
At a glance
City of Colfax Water Department (PWSID WA5314000) is an active community water system in Whitman County, Washington. It reports serving 3,507 people through 1,476 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
3,507
Service connections
1,476
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Colfax Water Department compare with other water systems in Whitman County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Colfax Water Department is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Whitman County has 33 active public water systems, and City of Colfax Water Department is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 71% above the county average of 2,055 people per system, and accounts for 5.2% of the 67,820 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 Colfax Water Department is about half of 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. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 4,370 Washington systems (93%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Colfax Water Department?
EPA lists City of Colfax Water Department 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. 23 of the 33 active systems in Whitman County (70%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Colfax Water Department have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023. The violations listed here began between January 2020 and July 2023. By type: 11 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminants or rules involved are Consumer Confidence Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5) and Nitrate. EPA lists 12 as resolved. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethanecode 2985 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloropropanecode 2983 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chlorobenzenecode 2989 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Tetrachloroethylenecode 2987 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | p-Dichlorobenzenecode 2969 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | trans-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2979 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbon tetrachloridecode 2982 | No | Resolved |
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 Colfax Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Colfax Water Department?
City of Colfax Water Department (PWSID WA5314000) 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 Colfax Water Department serve?
City of Colfax Water Department reports serving 3,507 people through 1,476 service connections in Whitman County, Washington.
Where does City of Colfax Water Department get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does City of Colfax Water Department have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023. 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 Colfax Water Department'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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2023. 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 Colfax Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Colfax Water Department 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 Whitman County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pullman Water Department City of | Whitman | 31,315 | Community | Groundwater |
| Washington State University | Whitman | 21,506 | Community | Groundwater |
| Palouse Water Dept City of | Whitman | 1,298 | Community | Groundwater |
| Tekoa City of | Whitman | 1,076 | Community | Groundwater |
| Horn School Rest Area | Whitman | 833 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Rosalia Town of | Whitman | 831 | 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, “Colfax Water Department City of, PWSID WA5314000, Washington”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/washington/colfax-water-department-city-of-wa5314000 (data as of October 1, 2026).