Privacy

Last updated September 2026

Your ZIP code is not sent anywhere

This is a technical fact about how the site is built rather than a promise about how we behave. The water quality dataset is downloaded to your browser as a file, and the lookup runs entirely on your device. When you type a ZIP code, no request is made to us, or to anyone else, containing it. We could not log your searches if we wanted to, because they never reach a server.

What we do collect

We use privacy-respecting analytics to count page views and understand which pages are useful. This records the page visited, the referring site, and general details such as browser type, country and device category. It does not use cookies for tracking, does not build a profile of you, and does not follow you to other websites.

Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs, including IP addresses, for security and operational purposes. These are retained for a limited period and are not used to identify individuals.

What we do not do

• We do not ask for, store, or have any way to receive your name, address or email, because there is nothing on this site to sign up for.
• We do not sell or share personal information. We have none to sell.
• We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

Third parties

Web fonts are served by Google Fonts, which means your browser makes a request to Google to retrieve them. Some pages link to external sites, including federal agencies; once you follow a link, that site's own privacy policy applies.

Where a page includes an affiliate link to a retailer, following it may set a cookie from that retailer recording that you arrived from this site. Any page carrying such links says so on the page.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal information a site holds about you. Because we do not hold personal information about visitors, there is in practice nothing for us to retrieve or erase — but if you believe otherwise, contact us and we will look into it.

Children

This site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes

If this policy changes materially we will update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the revised policy.