River Bend Water System, WA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 0.5 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.
Who runs the water here
River Bend Water System serves about 140 people through 82 service connections, which makes it a very small system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Pend Oreille County, Washington. EPA system ID: WA5372752. Ask the utility on your bill for your address in their service line inventory.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2020 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for River Bend Water System is 1 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 0.5 ppb |
| 2020 | 1 ppb |
| 2017 | 1 ppb |
How River Bend Water System compares
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. River Bend Water System's 0.5 ppb sits at the 37th percentile in Washington and the 43rd nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
14 other systems share Pend Oreille County; 5 of them have a higher latest lead result than River Bend Water System. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Newport City Of | 3,331 | 0 (not detected) |
| Ione Water Dept | 2,395 | 1.2 ppb |
| Diamond Lake Water & Sewer District | 1,299 | 2.2 ppb |
| Cusick Town Of | 672 | 3.2 ppb |
| Metaline Falls Town Of | 593 | 0 (not detected) |
| Metaline Water Dept | 193 | 0 (not detected) |
| Chippewa Water District | 185 | 0 (not detected) |
| Sandy Shore & Sunnyside Meadows | 83 | 0 (not detected) |
| Lenora Water And Sewer District | 75 | 2 ppb |
| Goosehaven | 75 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Newport, 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 River Bend 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. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.