Public water system · WA5356799
ActiveIl Caffe Rifugio Water System
At a glance
Il Caffe Rifugio Water System (PWSID WA5356799) is an active transient non-community water system in Whatcom County, Washington. It reports serving 54 people through 2 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2017.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
54
Service connections
2
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Il Caffe Rifugio Water System compare with other water systems in Whatcom County?
By EPA's size categories, Il Caffe Rifugio Water System is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Whatcom County has 183 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 1,437 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% 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 transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Il Caffe Rifugio Water System is about 62% below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Washington has 1,913 active transient non-community water systems, 41% 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 Il Caffe Rifugio Water System?
EPA lists Il Caffe Rifugio Water System as privately owned. 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. 140 of the 183 active systems in Whatcom County (77%) are also privately owned.
Does Il Caffe Rifugio Water System have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2017. The violations listed here began between October 1992 and January 2017. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (9 of them). EPA lists 9 as archived and 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 2000-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1999-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1998-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1997-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1992-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1992-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
All 11 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.
Il Caffe Rifugio Water System: frequently asked questions
Who runs Il Caffe Rifugio Water System?
Il Caffe Rifugio Water System (PWSID WA5356799) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the WA state drinking water program.
How many people does Il Caffe Rifugio Water System serve?
Il Caffe Rifugio Water System reports serving 54 people through 2 service connections in Whatcom County, Washington.
Where does Il Caffe Rifugio Water System 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 Il Caffe Rifugio Water System have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2017. 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 Il Caffe Rifugio Water System'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. EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2017. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the WA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Il Caffe Rifugio Water System's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Il Caffe Rifugio Water System is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Whatcom County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham-Water Division City of | Whatcom | 141,127 | Community | Surface water |
| 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 |
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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, “Il Caffe Rifugio Water System, PWSID WA5356799, Washington”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/washington/il-caffe-rifugio-water-system-wa5356799 (data as of October 1, 2026).