Western State Hospital, WA
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1.6 ppb (monitoring period 2023-2023). 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
Western State Hospital serves about 2,857 people through 532 service connections, which makes it a small system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by the state and draws groundwater, in Pierce County, Washington. EPA system ID: WA5395150. Ask the utility on your bill for your address in their service line inventory.
Western State Hospital's lead record
That is down 3.2 ppb from 4.8 ppb in the period ending 2019. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Western State Hospital is 4.8 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.6 ppb |
| 2019 | 4.8 ppb |
| 2016 | 2 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. Western State Hospital's 1.6 ppb sits at the 62nd percentile in Washington and the 65th nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
226 other systems share Pierce County; 99 of them have a higher latest lead result than Western State Hospital. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma Water Division City Of | 446,245 | 0 (not detected) |
| Puyallup City Of | 94,520 | 2.7 ppb |
| Lakewood Water District | 82,425 | 1.1 ppb |
| Southwood | 64,155 | 1.6 ppb |
| Bonney Lake Water Department City | 43,371 | 2.4 ppb |
| Firgrove Mutual Inc | 36,168 | 2.9 ppb |
| Jblm Lewis | 35,414 | 0 (not detected) |
| Spanaway Water Company | 34,506 | 2.4 ppb |
| Parkland Light & Water Company | 33,775 | 2.4 ppb |
| Fife Dept Of Public Works | 29,091 | 2 ppb |
Your move
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Port Orchard, 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 Western State Hospital 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.