Olympia, Washington

Environmental Quality Report Card

Olympia reports good air quality, with AQI levels better than the national average. Water tests indicate safe conditions across key measures. Facility compliance with environmental standards is below the national average.

Air Quality (Annual Overview)

Grade A
18.4 AQI

Yearly average AQI (2024): 18.4. National average: 41.4. 19 moderate days, 0 unhealthy days recorded.

Water Quality (Key Indicators)

Grade B
7.22 pH

Latest pH level (2024): 7.22. Ideal range: 6.5–8.5.

Facility Violations

Grade D
68 significant violations

Facilities like factories and treatment plants had 68 significant and 942 total violations reported in 2024.

Water Quality (with EPA Standards)

Water quality measurements are provided by the Water Quality Portal , a collaboration between the USGS, EPA, and other agencies.

Characteristic Local Value Safe Range Grade Last Measured
Turbidity 6.00 NTU <5 C 3/3/2025
Temperature 9.05 °C <25 A 1/22/2025
pH 7.22 6.5 - 8.5 A 3/3/2025
Arsenic 3.00 mg/L <0.01 F 9/24/2024
Lead 0.00 mg/L <0.015 A 9/24/2024
Nitrate 1.60 mg/L <10 A 6/23/2024
Mercury 0.00 mg/L <0.002 A 9/24/2024
Fecal Coliform 285.10 cfu/100mL <200 C 7/29/2024

Water Quality (No EPA Standard)

These measurements do not have formal EPA standards but are still important indicators of local water quality.

Characteristic Local Value Unit Last Measured
Temperature, water 8.56 deg C 3/3/2025
Calcium 12000.00 ug/L 6/23/2024
Specific conductance 89.40 uS/cm 3/3/2025
Alkalinity, carbonate 50.00 mg/L 6/23/2024
Iron 56.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 11.25 mg/L 3/3/2025
Enterococcus 41.00 MPN/100mL 8/26/2024
Depth 6.26 m 1/9/2025
Barium 28.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Conductivity 30999.25 mS/cm 1/22/2025
Molybdenum 110.00 ug/L 6/23/2024
Selenium 5.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Light, photosynthetic active radiation at depth (PAR) 0.00 umol/m2/s 1/9/2025
Silver 10.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Particulate organic carbon 0.80 mg/L 1/22/2025
Total suspended solids 2.90 mg/L 1/23/2025
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene 0.20 ug/L 12/9/2024
Cadmium 4.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Vinyl chloride 0.20 ug/L 12/9/2024
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene 0.20 ug/L 12/9/2024
Trichloroethylene 0.23 ug/L 12/9/2024
Acetylene 3.10 ug/L 6/23/2024
Sulfate 5.00 mg/L 6/23/2024
Total Phosphorus, mixed forms 0.06 mg/L 9/24/2024
Chloride 5.60 mg/L 6/23/2024
Methane 0.55 ug/L 6/23/2024
Escherichia coli 31.50 MPN/100mL 7/29/2024
Total dissolved solids 100.00 mg/L 6/23/2024
Organic carbon 1.00 mg/L 6/23/2024
Ethylene 0.58 ug/L 6/23/2024
1,1-Dichloroethylene 0.20 ug/L 12/9/2024
Chromium 10.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Nitrate + Nitrite 0.59 mg/L 9/24/2024
Tetrachloroethylene 0.20 ug/L 12/9/2024
Manganese 880.00 ug/L 9/24/2024
Sulfide 0.05 mg/L 6/23/2024
Oxidation reduction potential (ORP) 197.40 mV 10/1/2024
Ethane 0.56 ug/L 6/23/2024
Density 1021.84 kg/m3 1/22/2025
Salinity 28.26 PSS 1/22/2025
Depth, Secchi disk depth 7.30 m 1/22/2025
Ferrous ion 0.10 mg/L 10/1/2024
Temperature, air 22.00 deg C 7/31/2024

Air Quality Details (2024–2025)

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how clean or polluted the air is. A lower AQI means cleaner air. Main pollutants include particulate matter like PM2.5, ozone, and others regulated by EPA standards.
Air quality data sourced from OpenAQ, aggregating official monitoring stations.

Yearly Average AQI National Average AQI Good Days Moderate Days Unhealthy Days Worst Day AQI Top Pollutant
18.4 41.4 335 19 0 83 (on 7/4/2024) PM2.5

Monthly AQI Trend

Monthly average AQI values over the past year. Lower values are better. Peaks may indicate pollution events.

Facility Compliance

Facility compliance and violation data come from the EPA's ECHO database.

2,017 monitored facilities

Total Violations: 942

Significant Violations: 68

Total Penalties: $7,462,055

Despite 68 significant violations, Olympia reported 942 total violations across monitored facilities in 2024. This results in a compliance grade of D, reflecting below average adherence to environmental standards compared to national benchmarks.

About the Data

This report uses the latest publicly available environmental data:

  • Air Quality: Data sourced from the OpenAQ Platform, aggregating official air quality monitoring stations near Olympia.
  • Water Quality: Measurements from the Water Quality Portal, a collaboration between the USGS, EPA, and other agencies.
  • Facility Compliance: Sourced from the EPA's ECHO Database, detailing facility violations, penalties, and compliance rates.

All data is refreshed regularly and reflects the latest available figures for 2024.