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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Washoe County Water Quality: 3 Cities Ranked by the Records

Washoe County, Nevada: 3 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the mapPrivate wells in Washoe County
Across the county's systems

Highest result for each contaminant

One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.

LithiumDetected in 1 system of 3 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest100 µg/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest20 ng/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest15 ng/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.5 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest2 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest5.7 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest12 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6.8 ng/L
2 more contaminants detectedShow
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 1 system of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest3.9 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest13 ng/L
21 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 3 systems: GREAT BASIN WATER CO COLD SPRINGS, SUN VALLEY GID, TRUCKEE MEADOWS WATER AUTHORITY

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
  • 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
  • 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
  • Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
  • N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
  • N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
  • Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
  • Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
  • Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
  • Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
3 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 3 of 3 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.

PFAS in Washoe County1 of 3 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Reno20 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Nevada
Lead

0of 3 cities above the 15 µg/L action level

Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.

Lead in Nevada
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. RenoTRUCKEE MEADOWS WATER AUTHORITY · NV0000190
    442,000 served
  2. Sun ValleySUN VALLEY GID · NV0000211
    17,000 served
  3. Cold SpringsGREAT BASIN WATER CO COLD SPRINGS · NV0000207
    9,910 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Washoe County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 3 cities in Washoe County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Cold Springs's main water system: GREAT BASIN WATER CO COLD SPRINGS · PWSID NV0000207 · Purity Score 99 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Washoe County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

1 of 3 Washoe County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Reno (PFOS 20 ng/L). 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. PFAS were detected at any level in 2.

Is there lead in Washoe County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 1 of 3 Washoe County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

Have Washoe County water systems had drinking-water violations?

1 city in Washoe County has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

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