Public water system · WA5323456
ActiveLake-O-the-Woods
At a glance
Lake-O-the-Woods (PWSID WA5323456) is an active community water system in Island County, Washington. It reports serving 108 people through 49 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
108
Service connections
49
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Lake-O-the-Woods compare with other water systems in Island County?
By EPA's size categories, Lake-O-the-Woods is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Island County has 307 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 335 people per system, and accounts for 0.1% of the 102,977 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 Lake-O-the-Woods is well below 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 Lake-O-the-Woods?
EPA lists Lake-O-the-Woods 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. 274 of the 307 active systems in Island County (89%) are also privately owned.
Does Lake-O-the-Woods have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between November 1995 and July 2025. By type: 5 contaminant level above the legal limit, 4 monitoring and reporting and 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (8 of them). EPA lists 8 as archived and 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 2015-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1999-10-19 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-09-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1999-02-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1997-05-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1996-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1995-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1995-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | 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.
Lake-O-the-Woods: frequently asked questions
Who runs Lake-O-the-Woods?
Lake-O-the-Woods (PWSID WA5323456) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the WA state drinking water program.
How many people does Lake-O-the-Woods serve?
Lake-O-the-Woods reports serving 108 people through 49 service connections in Island County, Washington.
Where does Lake-O-the-Woods 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 Lake-O-the-Woods have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. 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 Lake-O-the-Woods' 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, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the WA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Lake-O-the-Woods' water quality report?
As a community water system, Lake-O-the-Woods 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 Island County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Harbor City of | Island | 23,675 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Naval Air Station/Whidbey Island | Island | 16,595 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Coupeville Town of | Island | 4,142 | Community | Groundwater |
| Camano Water Association | Island | 2,592 | Community | Groundwater |
| Clinton Water District | Island | 1,980 | Community | Groundwater |
| Camano Island State Park | Island | 1,718 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Lake-O-the-Woods, PWSID WA5323456, Washington”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/washington/lake-o-the-woods-wa5323456 (data as of October 1, 2026).