Short answer: In the 2021–2025 records we hold for Vancouver, two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, each had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029). Also worth knowing: the water is moderately hard. 9 substances were detected and 23 were tested and not detected. The water is from City of Vancouver, serving 373,047 residents.
Plumbing inside the building is outside this record.
At a glance
Vancouver water in four numbers
55/100 · FairConfidence: moderatePurity ScoreVANCOUVER CITY OF · PWSID WA5391200
9Detected2 with a sample above a 2024 EPA limit
2With a sample above a 2024 EPA limitof 32 records
0Health-based violationslast 10 years · EPA SDWIS
Two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, each had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029); the water is moderately hard.
What we found
9 detected results, by distance from their limit
Each bar runs to the named reference; the tick marks it. Open a row for five layers: measured, compared, meaning, where it matters, what to do.
PFOSPerfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)18.6ng/L▾
① · Measured
18.6 ng/L, sampled 2023-05-24 to 2024-05-15. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 18.6 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
PFOAPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)11.5ng/L▾
① · Measured
11.5 ng/L, sampled 2023-05-24 to 2024-05-15. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 11.5 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
PFHxSPerfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Within reference · Federal MCL10 ng/L federal MCL (2024)6.6ng/L▾
① · Measured
6.6 ng/L, sampled 2023-05-24 to 2024-05-15. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
10 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
③ · Meaning
Detected at up to 6.6 ng/L (below the 10 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with PFHxS named on the listing).
HardWater hardnessWithin reference · Aesthetic, no health limitAesthetic, no federal health limit5.4gpg▾
① · Measured
5.4 gpg, sampled 2025. Utility CCR.
② · Compared
Aesthetic, no federal health limit.
③ · Meaning
55–130 mg/L as CaCO3 (3.2–7.6 grains/gal) across the system; moderately hard at the midpoint (93 mg/L). Aesthetic (scale/appliances), not a health finding.
④ · Where it matters
Shows up as scale in kettles, water heaters and fixtures.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. Technologies that can reduce it: Ion-exchange water softener, Salt-free conditioner, Reverse osmosis (point-of-use).
VANCOUVER CITY OF (EPA PWSID WA5391200) delivers groundwater to 373,047 residents. This report reflects 29 individual PFAS result(s) from the source UCMR5 observations and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. The utility's 2025 CCR reports moderately hard water.
Track record
0health-based violations in the last 10 years
From EPA SDWIS. A clean violation history means no enforcement action was recorded; it does not cover contaminants without a limit.
Not in this recordDisinfection by-products weren't monitored in this dataset
No result is not a pass. Your utility's annual water quality report may list them, and a certified lab test covers your own tap.
Your household
Your tap can differ from the city record
The record describes water leaving treatment and samples across the system. Pipes, solder and fixtures inside a building can add lead the record can’t see, especially in older buildings with lead service lines.
Affiliate linksPurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure
★ Best choice: Aquasana Claryum 2-Stage Under-Sink Filter (AQ-5200), certified for PFOA, PFOS and lead.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RCC7AK Alkaline Reverse Osmosis SystemiSpring · It treats only the water from its own faucet and sends part of the water to the drain; the NSF listing for the plain RCC7AK covers dissolved solids, not lead or PFAS.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RO5004F Tankless Reverse Osmosis System with UViSpring · Its PFAS and lead reduction claims are iSpring's own, with no third-party certification named for this model, and it treats only the water at its own faucet.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisWaterdrop X12 Reverse Osmosis SystemWaterdrop · Its IAPMO NSF/ANSI 58 certification covers TDS reduction only, so its PFAS and lead claims rest on Waterdrop's own SGS lab testing.
Whole-houseiSpring WGB32B-PFKS PFAS & Heavy Metals Whole House FilteriSpring · It does not reduce total dissolved solids or soften hard water, and its PFAS result comes from SGS lab testing rather than an NSF/ANSI certification.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
PurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Ask your utility first
Find out if your building has a lead service line
Water utilities keep an inventory of service-line materials. Ask City of Vancouver whether your address is on it before you replace pipes.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Vancouver’s record shows lead at 2.2 µg/L (15 µg/L federal action level). Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
7 of 29 PFAS tested were detected in Vancouver’s record (PFOS 18.6 ng/L, PFOA 11.5 ng/L and PFHxS 6.6 ng/L, and more); 2 above their limit. If PFAS matters to you, a filter certification names each compound it covers.
Look forNSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with each compound you care about named on the listing
Your path: My water tastes of chlorineThe disinfectant is not in this record
Most utilities keep chlorine or chloramine in the pipes. A carbon filter certified for taste and odor reduces either; your utility can tell you which it uses.
PurityMap does not give a safe/unsafe verdict; it shows what the public records measured. For Vancouver, PFOS 18.6 ng/L and PFOA 11.5 ng/L were measured in one EPA sample each, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029); the lead 90th-percentile result was 2.2 µg/L against the 15 µg/L action level. VANCOUVER CITY OF (PWSID WA5391200) has a Purity Score of 55/100 (confidence: moderate), assessed at the water-system level and computed only from contaminants that were measured. Water can change in your own pipes, so a certified test is the only way to know what comes out of your tap. What we found →
Who provides tap water in Vancouver?+
VANCOUVER CITY OF (PWS ID WA5391200) is the public water system on record for Vancouver, Washington, serving about 373,047 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Vancouver get its drinking water?+
Groundwater (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Vancouver's water?+
Yes. In EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2023-05-24 to 2024-05-15), PFOS was measured at 18.6 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 and PFOA was measured at 11.5 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. EPA's 2024 limits are judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet them, so a single sample is not a violation. PFBS (7.6 ng/L, below the 2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory), PFHxA (7.3 ng/L, below the 400,000 ng/L state limit) and PFHxS (6.6 ng/L, below the 10 ng/L federal limit) were also detected. PFHpA (3 ng/L) and PFPeA (7.4 ng/L) were also detected; they have no federal or state limit. Reverse osmosis and filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA/PFOS reduce them at the tap. What we found →
Is there lead in Vancouver's tap water?+
VANCOUVER CITY OF's most recent lead 90th-percentile result (2021–2023) was 2.2 µg/L, below the 15 µg/L action level. That figure comes from sampled homes; lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink. Your household →
What does the latest Vancouver water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Vancouver holds 32 findings: 2 above a reference, 5 detected within the reference, 2 detected with no limit and 23 not detected. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass. Records →
Is Vancouver's water hard?+
Vancouver's water is recorded as 5.4 gpg, moderately hard. Hardness is an aesthetic and plumbing characteristic, not a health-based limit. Choose your situation →
EPA SDWIS, EPA UCMR 5 and utility reports, each dated and linked.
02Normalize
Units converted to one basis; a non-detect kept distinct from zero.
03Classify
Each result tagged by reference type: MCL, action level, screening level or aesthetic.
04Compare to the named reference
Every value sits against its own reference, never a blended one.
05Score
Measured subjects summarised at the water-system level; an open health-based violation caps the score.
06Match treatment
Treatment is matched to what was found; a product is called certified only when its current certification names it.
What the Purity Score means: a summary of this water system’s published record, capped while a health-based violation is open. It is not a test of any tap. VANCOUVER CITY OF · PWSID WA5391200 · Purity Score 55/100 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level