YAKIMA COUNTY OFFERING 
FREE NITRATE TESTING 
For Lower Yakima Valley Residents

Yakima – Yakima County, in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health and the Yakima Health District, is beginning a limited state-funded program to offer free nitrate and coliform testing for private and shared drinking water wells in the Lower Yakima Valley Groundwater Management Area.  

Households whose tests indicate that their well’s nitrates are greater than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water standard of 10 milligrams per liter will qualify for additional services:   

1. Free Bottled Water. Households will be contacted by the Yakima Health District to start receiving free bottled water until an in-house treatment system can be installed.   
2. Installation of an in-home treatment system. As a long-term solution, homeowners will be offered a free in-home treatment system to limit the nitrates in the drinking water. One-year maintenance of the system is also free. Funding for ongoing maintenance after the first year is being pursued. 

Targeted mailings to Lower Valley households begin this week and will continue throughout 2024. Renters and homeowners are encouraged to test their well water using the test strip in the mailing, and to return their results in the self-addressed stamped envelope provided.  The Yakima Health District will follow up with households whose results indicate nitrate levels above the drinking water standard. 

For faster service, residents can call the Nitrate Hotline at 1-866-886-7117 to request a test kit packet or to sign up for well water testing and a brief onsite well survey.  Water testing and the survey will require homeowner permission. 

These services are part of a decades-long effort to help Lower Yakima Valley residents learn how to protect their families, and understand their water quality, and the impact of the area’s drinking water on public health. The Program is called the Lower Yakima Valley Groundwater Management Area (LYV GWMA) which has been focused on public outreach, well testing, and reducing nitrates in groundwater since 2012.   

For more information, please visit www.yakimacounty.us/GWMA 

CONTACT:  Lisa Freund, Yakima County Public Services Director 
Office: 509-574-2300
Cell:    509-504-3653 

Monica Beltran, Yakima County Public Services Administrative Manager 
Office:  509-574-2300 
Cell:    509-986-0418 

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