Highland Estates Water System, WA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1 ppb (monitoring period 2018-2020). 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.
Who runs the water here
Highland Estates Water System serves about 53 people through 15 service connections, which makes it a very small system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws groundwater, in Adams County, Washington. EPA system ID: WA5332736. Ask the utility on your bill for your address in their service line inventory.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2017 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Highland Estates Water System is 1 ppb across 2 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 ppb |
| 2017 | 1 ppb |
Where this result ranks
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. Highland Estates Water System's 1 ppb sits at the 47th percentile in Washington and the 50th nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
30 other systems share Adams County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Highland Estates Water System. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Othello Water Department | 8,755 | 0 (not detected) |
| Ritzville Water Department | 1,725 | 0 (not detected) |
| Lind Town Of | 903 | 0 (not detected) |
| Adams County Water Dist #1 | 870 | 0 (not detected) |
| Othello Manor Llc | 400 | 0 (not detected) |
| Golden Plains Mhp #1 | 360 | 0 (not detected) |
| Washtucna Water Department | 250 | 0 (not detected) |
| Summerset West Water Association | 240 | 0 (not detected) |
| Saddle Mountain Water Assoc. | 219 | 2.8 ppb |
| Othello Country Club Water Assn | 208 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Othello, WA
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Othello, 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 Highland Estates Water System 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. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.