Home hazard report for 71862 — Washington, AR
ZIP 71862 is served by Southwest Arkansas Water System: 23 violations since 2016, latest lead result 23 ppb, PFAS not tested. Hempstead County is in EPA radon zone 3.
Health-based violations since 2016: Tthm, Total Haloacetic Acids (Haa5). All are listed as resolved.
The 90th-percentile lead level in the latest round (Jan 2008) was above EPA's 15 ppb action level, which requires the utility to take further steps.
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Predicted average under 2 pCi/L — but any home can have high radon, so EPA still recommends a test.
FEMA’s overall natural-hazard risk for this census tract, relative to the rest of the U.S.
No active Superfund site within 10 miles of the ZIP center.
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Where ZIP 71862 is
Dashed: ZIP area · blue: utility service area · scroll or pinch to zoomDrinking water: Southwest Arkansas Water System
Health-based violations
| Contaminant or rule | Health-based violations since 2016 |
|---|---|
| Tthm | 20 |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (Haa5) | 3 |
A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its legal limit (MCL) or a required treatment technique was not met, as reported by the state to EPA’s SDWIS. All are listed as resolved or archived; the latest began Apr 2025.
Lead
90th-percentile lead per sampling round (90% of the homes sampled were at or below this level). Black line: EPA’s 15 ppb action level; under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements the action level becomes 10 ppb from 2027.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5).
Radon in Hempstead County
EPA radon zone 3 — low potential. Predicted average under 2 pCi/L — but any home can have high radon, so EPA still recommends a test.
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas from soil and rock, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above and considering it from 2 pCi/L. A short-term test kit costs about $15–30. How radon zones work →
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the overall natural-hazard risk of this neighborhood (census tract) as Relatively Moderate, with very high social vulnerability and very low community resilience.
FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025): expected annual losses from each hazard combined with social vulnerability and community resilience, rated relative to all U.S. census tracts. Hazards not listed are not applicable here. It describes the area, not a single building; flood insurance maps (FEMA FIRMs) decide flood-insurance requirements.
Live conditions: river gauges and flood levels · tornado warnings · wildfire detections · earthquakes — our sister maps, updated from NOAA, USGS and NASA every few minutes.
Superfund sites nearby
No site on EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List lies within 10 miles of the center of this ZIP code.
EPA Superfund National Priorities List (NPL): the country’s most serious known hazardous-waste sites, each with an EPA cleanup record (linked). Distance is measured from the ZIP center to the site’s reference point; being near a site does not by itself mean exposure — EPA site pages describe what was found and how it is being cleaned up.
What this is — and isn’t. These are records your water utility and state reported to the EPA, and the EPA’s radon map for your county. They describe the system and the area, not the water from your own tap or the air in your home. For that, read your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report and test: lead and radon tests are inexpensive.
Questions about 71862
Who supplies drinking water to ZIP 71862?
Southwest Arkansas Water System (EPA ID AR0000889), a surface water (rivers, lakes) system serving about 2,335 people.
Is there lead in Washington, AR tap water?
The utility’s latest 90th-percentile lead result (Jan 2008) was 23 ppb; EPA’s action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb from 2027. Lead mostly comes from service lines and home plumbing, so the only way to know your tap is to test it.
Does Washington, AR water have PFAS?
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Has the water system in 71862 had violations?
Health-based violations since 2016: Tthm, Total Haloacetic Acids (Haa5). All are listed as resolved.
What natural hazards affect ZIP 71862?
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk here as Relatively Moderate; the highest-rated hazards are ice storm (very high), hail (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
Are there Superfund sites near 71862?
No active Superfund site within 10 miles of the ZIP center.
Is radon a problem in Hempstead County?
Hempstead County is in EPA radon zone 3 (low potential). Predicted average under 2 pCi/L — but any home can have high radon, so EPA still recommends a test.