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Bethel, AK Tap Water Quality 2026

Water quality report for Bethel, AK — PFAS, lead and copper results, violation history and state inspection findings from EPA SDWIS.

A look at Bethel's drinking water using EPA enforcement records: violations, lead and copper results, PFAS sampling and state inspection findings.

Main Utility: Bethel-City S/d Water PWSID: AK2271999 Updated: 2026 Q2
✅

No federal limits exceeded on record

Lead was not detected and no violations are open. PFAS has never been sampled at this system.

D

Bethel earns a D for water quality

Graded on violations and lead, with state inspection findings. PFAS not tested.

Lead: not detected
PFAS never sampled at this system
32 violations since 2015, 11 health-based
No violations currently open
Bethel's lead level vs. all Alaska community water systems
0 ppb5 ppb10 ppb15 ppb
Lead level: Not detected — 0% of the federal action level
✓ Lower lead than % of Alaska utilities
Population Served
~250 connections
Water Source
Groundwater
Drawn from wells — SDWIS source code GW
Active Violations
0
32 since 2015, all resolved

Lead & Copper Testing

Lead (Pb)
90th percentile of tap samples collected across the distribution system
0% of EPA action level
Not detected
Action level: 15 ppb
Copper (Cu)
90th percentile of tap samples. SDWIS reports a copper figure only when a system exceeds the action level, so any value here is an exceedance.
147.7% of EPA action level
1,920 ppb
Action level: 1,300 ppb
Lead was not detected at the 90th percentile — the result fell below the laboratory detection limit. That is not the same as an absence of lead in every tap, and older homes with lead service lines can still show higher readings. Copper reached the action level here; a copper figure appears in SDWIS only when a system triggers it.

Contaminant Violations (2015–Present)

ContaminantTypeMeasuredLimitPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rule MONITORING AND REPORTING — TT 2024 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2023 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2023 Resolved
Groundwater Rule OTHER — — 2022 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2022 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2022 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.063 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2022 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2022 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2022 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.08 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Revised Total Coliform Rule MONITORING FAILURE — — 2021 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.075 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Chlorine MONITORING AND REPORTING — 4.0 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.075 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.067 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2021 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.071 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Lead and Copper Rule MONITORING AND REPORTING — TT 2020 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.075 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2020 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.072 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Groundwater Rule TREATMENT TECHNIQUE — — 2020 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.072 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2020 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL EXCEEDANCE 0.072 MG/L 0.060 mg/L 2019 Resolved
Lead and Copper Rule MONITORING AND REPORTING — TT 2016 Resolved
TTHM MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.080 mg/L 2015 Resolved
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MONITORING AND REPORTING — 0.060 mg/L 2015 Resolved
Understanding violation types MCL violations mean a contaminant exceeded the federal maximum limit — the most serious type.
TT (Treatment Technique) violations mean required treatment procedures weren't followed, but don't necessarily mean contamination occurred.

Violation History

32 violations are on record since 2015, of which 11 were health-based. All have been resolved and none remain open.

About the Main Water System

Utility Bethel-City S/D Water
PWSID AK2271999
Water source Groundwater — Drawn from wells — SDWIS source code GW
Population served
Service connections 250
Systems serving this area 3
Regulator State primacy agency
Data through 2026 Q2 — EPA SDWIS

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bethel tap water safe to drink? ▼
No federal limit is exceeded on record. No violations are currently open.
Does Bethel water have PFAS? ▼
This system has never been sampled for PFAS. EPA's national monitoring covered systems serving 3,300 people or more, so no results exist — which is not evidence that none is present.
Who supplies water to Bethel? ▼
Bethel-City S/D Water (PWSID AK2271999), one of 3 systems serving this area. Groundwater. Drawn from wells — SDWIS source code GW
When was this system last inspected? ▼
It was last inspected on 2025-05-01. Inspectors recorded 3 significant deficiencies.

What Should Bethel Residents Do?

1
Read your annual water report
Your supplier publishes a Consumer Confidence Report each July covering the prior year.
2
Check for a lead service line
Lead reaches tap water mainly through service lines and household plumbing. Suppliers now publish an inventory identifying lead lines.
3
Flush before drinking
If water has sat in pipes more than six hours, run the cold tap for two minutes before drinking or cooking.

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