Public water system · WA53NP160
ActiveRoss Lake Resort
At a glance
Ross Lake Resort (PWSID WA53NP160) is an active transient non-community water system in Whatcom County, Washington. It reports serving 119 people through 18 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by the federal government. EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2019.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
119
Service connections
18
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Ross Lake Resort compare with other water systems in Whatcom County?
By EPA's size categories, Ross Lake Resort 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 Ross Lake Resort is about 17% 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 Ross Lake Resort?
EPA lists Ross Lake Resort as owned by the federal 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. 15 of the 183 active systems in Whatcom County (8.2%) are also owned by the federal government.
Does Ross Lake Resort have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2019. The violations listed here began between June 1997 and May 2019. By type: 4 monitoring, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (6 of them). EPA lists 6 as resolved and 1 as archived. 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. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-03-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-02-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-01-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique, Level 2 Assessment (RTCR) · code 2B | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-11-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) · code 1A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1997-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
All 7 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.
Ross Lake Resort: frequently asked questions
Who runs Ross Lake Resort?
Ross Lake Resort (PWSID WA53NP160) is a transient non-community water system owned by the federal government. It is regulated by the WA state drinking water program.
How many people does Ross Lake Resort serve?
Ross Lake Resort reports serving 119 people through 18 service connections in Whatcom County, Washington.
Where does Ross Lake Resort 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 Ross Lake Resort have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2019. 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 Ross Lake Resort'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 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2019. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the WA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Ross Lake Resort's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Ross Lake Resort 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, “Ross Lake Resort, PWSID WA53NP160, Washington”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/washington/ross-lake-resort-wa53np160 (data as of October 1, 2026).