Washington, GA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 2.1 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2026). 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.
Washington at a glance
Washington serves about 6,490 people through 2,395 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Wilkes County, Georgia. EPA system ID: GA3170002; phone on file: 706-678-3277. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Washington's lead record
Against the period ending 2023 (1.9 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Washington is 3.1 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.1 ppb |
| 2023 | 1.9 ppb |
| 2020 | 3.1 ppb |
| 2017 | 1.4 ppb |
| 2016 | 1.5 ppb |
Against other Georgia systems
Of the 1,681 Georgia systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0.68 ppb; 15 are over 15 ppb right now and 131 have gone over at some point. Washington's 2.1 ppb sits at the 76th percentile in Georgia and the 74th nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
2 other systems share Wilkes County; 1 of them has a higher latest lead result than Washington. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Tignall Water System | 729 | 2.2 ppb |
| Rayle Water System | 200 | 0.9 ppb |
Next steps for Washington, GA
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Washington, GA 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 Washington 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. What a 90th-percentile result does and does not tell you: how to read a lead result. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.