Eastern Washington University, WA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 6.5 ppb (monitoring period 2021-2023). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
About Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University serves about 17,108 people through 1,261 service connections, which makes it a large system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by the state and draws groundwater, in Spokane County, Washington. EPA system ID: WA5321900. Ask the utility on your bill for your address in their service line inventory.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2020 (5.8 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Eastern Washington University is 6.5 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 6.5 ppb |
| 2020 | 5.8 ppb |
| 2017 | 5.9 ppb |
Against other Washington systems
Of the 2,218 Washington systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 1 ppb; 18 are over 15 ppb right now and 62 have gone over at some point. Eastern Washington University's 6.5 ppb sits at the 94th percentile in Washington and the 94th nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
86 other systems share Spokane County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Eastern Washington University. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane City Of | 346,138 | 2 ppb |
| Whitworth Water District 2 | 26,883 | 1.3 ppb |
| Vera Water & Power | 24,692 | 20.8 ppb |
| Consolidated Irrig Dist 19 System 2 | 21,220 | 1.3 ppb |
| Spo Co Water Dist 3 Sys 1 | 19,035 | 1.6 ppb |
| Modern Electric Water Co | 18,487 | 0 (not detected) |
| Cheney City Of | 16,954 | 1.3 ppb |
| Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District | 14,500 | 1.5 ppb |
| Fairchild Air Force Base | 9,544 | 4.2 ppb |
| Airway Heights City Of | 9,489 | 11.1 ppb |
Next steps for Cheney, WA
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Cheney, WA may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Eastern Washington University whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. The action level is dropping - the 10 ppb rule from 2027.