Public water system · WA5369000
ActivePort Townsend City of
At a glance
City of Port Townsend (PWSID WA5369000) is an active community water system in Jefferson County, Washington. It reports serving 17,053 people through 6,510 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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2014.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
17,053
Service connections
6,510
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Port Townsend compare with other water systems in Jefferson County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Port Townsend is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Jefferson County has 70 active public water systems, and City of Port Townsend is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 25 times the county average of 674 people per system, and accounts for 36% of the 47,151 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 Port Townsend is about 154% above 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 Port Townsend?
EPA lists City of Port Townsend 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. 16 of the 70 active systems in Jefferson County (23%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Port Townsend have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2014. The violations listed here began between October 1979 and April 2014. By type: 11 monitoring and reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminants or rules involved are Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Surface Water Treatment Rule and Selenium. EPA lists 9 as archived and 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-08-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Seleniumcode 1045 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Cadmiumcode 1015 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Mercurycode 1035 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Fluoridecode 1025 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Arseniccode 1005 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Bariumcode 1010 | No | Archived |
| 1979-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Chromiumcode 1020 | 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.
City of Port Townsend: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Port Townsend?
City of Port Townsend (PWSID WA5369000) 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 Port Townsend serve?
City of Port Townsend reports serving 17,053 people through 6,510 service connections in Jefferson County, Washington.
Where does City of Port Townsend 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 Port Townsend have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2014. 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 Port Townsend'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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2014. 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 Port Townsend's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Port Townsend 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 Jefferson County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quimper | Jefferson | 14,548 | Community | Groundwater |
| Olympic Water & Sewer Inc. | Jefferson | 3,086 | Community | Groundwater |
| Dosewallips State Park | Jefferson | 2,941 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Cape George Colony Club Inc. | Jefferson | 1,022 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bywater Bay | Jefferson | 628 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bridgehaven Community Club | Jefferson | 623 | 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, “Port Townsend City of, PWSID WA5369000, Washington”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/washington/port-townsend-city-of-wa5369000 (data as of October 1, 2026).