Vancouver, WA Water Quality (ZIP 98663)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 98663 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 98663's water at an average of 5.82 ppt across 5 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 98663? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, a pitcher certified to NSF-53 for PFAS (ZeroWater, PUR PLUS) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 98663 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 98663 (Vancouver, WA). Monitoring found a peak of 8.4 ppt across 1 system, averaging 5.82 ppt over 5 detected compounds. These levels come from individual EPA UCMR 5 water samples (2023-2025). The EPA's 4 ppt limit for PFOA and PFOS is enforced on a running annual average, so a sample above it shows real exposure but is not by itself a violation.

Contamination Level: LOW – Low contamination – PFAS detected but at lower levels; monitoring continues.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 98663

• PFOS: 8.4 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 8 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHXS: 5.3 ppt
• PFBS: 4.1 ppt
• PFHXA: 3.3 ppt

Lead in ZIP 98663 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 4 lead samples for the system serving 98663, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0037 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 98663 in Vancouver, WA.

Beyond water: other exposures in Vancouver, WA

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 98663 and Clark County, WA.

Radon risk in Clark County, WA

The EPA places Clark County, WA in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Clark County, WA

Census figures show 35% of homes in Clark County, WA were built before 1980, and 8% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Clark County, WA

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Clark County, WA averages 7.8 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.

Superfund sites near 98663

There is 1 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) site within about five miles of 98663: Boomsnub/Airco (about 2.4 miles). Distances are measured from the ZIP code's geographic centre, so the distance from a specific address will differ. Proximity to a listed site is a fact about location - it is not itself evidence of exposure.

Industrial releases near 98663

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 3 reporting facilities within about five miles of 98663, together reporting roughly 28,791 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.