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SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT vs PORTLAND WATER BUREAU

Water quality comparison — risk levels, violations, PFAS records, and contaminants

Quick Answer

Both utilities share the same risk level (safe). SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT has 0 open health-based violations and 116 PFAS records. PORTLAND WATER BUREAU has 1 open health-based violation and 174 PFAS records.

SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT

Oregon · OR4100799

Overall Risk Level

No Concerns Detected

No Concern
Low
Moderate
High
Critical

Water meets all safety standards with no detected exceedances.

0

Open violations

116

PFAS records

PORTLAND WATER BUREAU

Oregon · OR4100657

Overall Risk Level

No Concerns Detected

No Concern
Low
Moderate
High
Critical

Water meets all safety standards with no detected exceedances.

1

Open violations

174

PFAS records

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricSEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENTPORTLAND WATER BUREAU
StateOregonOregon
Risk LevelNo Concerns DetectedNo Concerns Detected
Population Served7,482666,200
Open Health Violations01
Total Violations02
PFAS Records116174
OwnershipLocalLocal
Service TypeSurface waterSurface water
City Served

Contaminants in Violation Records

SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT

No named contaminants in violation records.

PORTLAND WATER BUREAU

  • Coliform (TCR)

Key Differences

SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT has 0 open health-based violations vs. 1 for PORTLAND WATER BUREAU.

SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT has 116 PFAS records vs. 174 for PORTLAND WATER BUREAU.

What Should I Do?

If either utility shows open violations or elevated PFAS records, consider:

  • Installing a reverse osmosis filter — removes PFAS, lead, arsenic, nitrates, and most heavy metals.
  • Requesting your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) for the most current test results.
  • Ordering a certified lab water test if you want contaminant-specific data for your address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is safer — SEASIDE WATER DEPARTMENT or PORTLAND WATER BUREAU?

Both utilities share the same risk level (safe). Both utilities have similar violation profiles — review the full data above to decide based on specific contaminants that concern you.

What does "open health-based violation" mean?

An open health-based violation means a water system has exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or failed to meet a treatment technique — and the violation has not yet been resolved. These are the most serious type of water quality violations.

How current is this data?

Violation data comes from EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), which is updated as utilities report. PFAS data comes from EPA's UCMR 5 monitoring (2023–2025). Risk levels are recalculated daily.

What does PWSID mean?

PWSID stands for Public Water System ID — a unique federal identifier assigned to each community water system. You can use it to look up a system in EPA's ECHO database.

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