2025 Water Quality Report Shows Hermiston's Drinking Water Meets Federal Safety Standards
The 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report for the City of Hermiston, released in July, shows that Hermiston's drinking water continues to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety standards.
The annual report summarizes the results of water quality testing conducted quarterly throughout 2025 and provides information about federal standards. Testing found that all regulated contaminants, including nitrates and other chemicals, were below EPA limits.
Hermiston's drinking water comes from several sources, including three deep wells, one shallow well, and surface water. Surface water is treated at the City's water treatment plant through filtration and disinfection before entering the distribution system. Chlorine is added to water from each source to maintain water quality throughout the system.
City Council PFAS Discussion
During a City Council work session on July 27, councilors received an update on PFAS, which are synthetic chemicals sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they break down very slowly in the environment.
PFAS have become a national focus as the EPA establishes new drinking water regulations. Public water systems across the country are currently monitoring for PFAS and are required to meet new federal compliance standards by 2029.
Testing conducted in 2025 detected PFAS in Wells 2, 4 and 5. No PFAS were detected in Well 6 or in the Regional Water System. Despite those findings, Hermiston's drinking water currently meets all EPA drinking water standards and remains safe to drink.
Staff recommended proactive steps to prepare for coming EPA standards, including:
- Installing PFAS treatment and filtration at Well 5.
- Decommissioning Wells 2 and 4.
- Enhancing the Regional Water Treatment Plant.
These improvements would expand the City's water supply and storage capacity while increasing its ability to remove PFAS from the drinking water system before the 2029 federal compliance deadline.
Residents are encouraged to review the complete 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report for additional information about Hermiston's water system, testing results and water quality standards.
