Ellensburg City water staff on Dec. 1 reviewed the municipal water system
nd testing program, telling a study session the city draws treated drinking water from an 11-well groundwater system and maintains a long record of regulatory compliance.

Rebecca Springer, the city's Water Resources Manager, said the city's water supply "comes from ground beneath us," is treated and then distributed through a network of pipes. She noted the water system plan was updated in 2024 and serves as a 10-year road map for protecting sources, identifying infrastructure needs and budgeting for maintenance. "We have an excellent history of compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act and DOH regulations," Springer said.

Staff explained monitoring follows both EPA and Washington Department of Health requirements. Springer described the UCMR (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule) program as a driver for emerging contaminant monitoring and gave PFAS as an example of contaminants UCMR helps track prior to formal regulation. The city also performs monthly bacteriological tests, annual nitrate testing and periodic cycles for other analytes under DOH scheduling. "We send out consumer confidence reports annually," Springer said, noting those reports summarize water-quality analytical results.

City staff said bacteriological sampling occurs throughout the distribution system in addition to wellhead testing. Mike Helgason, assistant public works director, said the city typically takes 20 distribution samples per month at multiple addresses and that sample frequency may increase as population and service needs grow.

Springer and other staff emphasized ongoing leak-detection efforts to reduce nonrevenue water. The presenters said leak-detection has identified leaks this year and staff hope reduced pumped volume in October reflects those repairs and recent conservation outreach. Staff said they will present aquifer-elevation reporting to the Environmental Commission in the spring.

The presentation closed with staff describing planned follow-up items: continuing the UCMR and routine compliance testing, expanding leak detection and reporting, and providing aquifer and monitoring results to city advisory bodies.