What's in our water? A deep dive for Seattle's Eastside

If you live on the Eastside in a city like Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, or Bothell, your water is sourced from the Cedar River and South Fork Tolt watersheds and serviced by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU).

Over 1.4 million people rely on this water source, and most of us take it for granted that the Pacific Northwest boasts some of the cleanest water in the country. Unfortunately, while SPU does a great job meeting federal standards, there is a big difference between water that is "legal" and water that is actually healthy for your skin and lungs.

Since it’s Earth Month, we wanted to take a minute to look at the gaps in how our water is regulated and how that affects you every time you step into the shower.

The gap between "legal" and "safe"

The biggest hurdle for all of us is something called the Safe Drinking Water Act. The problem is that many of the EPA’s legal limits haven't been updated in over twenty years. Often, these limits are a compromise between what science says is healthy and what a city can actually afford to do.

On top of that, federal regulations are almost entirely focused on the water you drink. They don't really account for what happens when you shower. When you take a hot, steamy shower, your pores open up and you breathe in water vapor (steam). This creates a direct path for chemicals to get into your bloodstream. Some research even suggests that a ten-minute shower can lead to more chemical absorption than drinking two full liters of that same waterWhat the data says about our local water

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), our local water contains a few specific things that are legally acceptable, yet far exceed modern health guidelines:

• Chloroform: This is a big one for showers. It's a byproduct of the chlorination process that turns into gas very easily in steam. When you’re in a small, enclosed shower, you end up inhaling it, which bypasses your digestive system and goes straight into your blood.
  • The City of Bellevue has measured chloroform at 23.9 parts per billion, or 60X the EWG recommended guidelines.
• Chlorine byproducts (HAA5 and TTHMs): These are created when chlorine reacts with organic matter in the water. In our local system, these levels are often much higher than what health experts advise.
  • The City of Kirkland has measured haloacetic acids (HHA5) at 20.9 parts per billion, or 209X the EWG recommended guidelines.
• PFAS ("Forever Chemicals"): Recent local tests have confirmed the presence of PFOA and PFUnA in our water. These are chemicals that don't break down in the environment and tend to build up in our bodies over time.
  • This is a massive nationwide challenge, and the Puget Sound Region is not immune. Most local municipalities would currently be out of compliance with proposed regulation on PFAS, set to take effect in coming years.

A better way to shower

To deal with these chemicals, a lot of people buy shower filters. But this creates a bit of a paradox. To protect your own health, you’re usually forced to buy plastic cartridges that just end up in a landfill. Once they’re in the trash, the toxins they trapped can eventually leak back into the soil and the water cycle. It feels like solving one problem by creating another.

At Citrus Wellness Co., we wanted to find a way to get healthy water without the environmental footprint. We decided to move away from that "disposable" model and build something circular instead. We designed our Vitamin C Filtered Showerhead around three simple ideas:

• Minimize plastic: We got rid of those bulky plastic cartridges. Our showerhead uses a permanent housing that contains a plastic-free filter.
• Remove toxins for good: Our filters work in two ways: Some contaminants are neutralized, while others are trapped by the activated carbon we include so they can't get back into the environment.
• Circularity: Instead of tossing your old filter in the trash, we offer a Takeback Program so you can send it back to us. We work with a facility that uses high heat to destroy the trapped chemicals and "regenerate" the carbon so it can be used again. It keeps the materials in use and the chemicals out of our landfills.

Redefining "clean"

This Earth Month, we’re inviting you to think about what "clean" really means. It’s about protecting your body from the gaps in municipal water standards, but it’s also about making sure the products we use aren't hurting the planet we share.

By choosing Citrus, you’re taking a science-backed step toward better health for yourself and a more sustainable future.

Resources & further reading

• EWG Tap Water Database: Seattle Public Utilities: A detailed breakdown of local contaminants in the Eastside's water supply that exceed modern health guidelines despite being "legal."

• The Role of Skin Absorption in Drinking Water (AJPH): The foundational study showing that skin absorption and inhalation can contribute more to your total chemical "dose" than drinking the water itself.

• SPU 2024 Drinking Water Quality Report: The official municipal data for the Cedar River and Tolt watersheds serving the greater Seattle region.
  

• EWG Health Guidelines vs. Legal Limits: A deep dive into the discrepancy between federal regulations and what toxicologists actually recommend for human health.

• EPA: Understanding the Safe Drinking Water Act: An overview of federal water regulations and why legal limits often lag behind the latest health science.

• EPA: PFAS Explained: A resource on "forever chemicals," their persistence in our environment, and why they are a growing concern for modern water systems.

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Circular Economy Introduction: The framework for why keeping materials in use and regenerating resources—like activated carbon—is essential for a waste-free future.