Ballico CSD
What EPA’s and California’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 238 people
- Connections
- 73
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Ballico, CA
- County
- Merced
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Moderately hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic, above the health goal. 1 health-based violation since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Arsenic, nitrate, chromium (total) and fluoride: California’s own results, samples taken from Jan. 22, 2020 to April 8, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM): EPA’s compliance monitoring file, samples taken from Sept. 13, 2012 to Nov. 8, 2018. Newer results are in the utility’s annual water quality report.
Above the health goal1
Arsenic
Comes from the source
2.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.5 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 2.8 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.3 ppb, in 2015.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
Below EPA’s limits2
Nitrate
Comes from the source
8.3ppm
Highest sample; found in 28 of 28
2026 average: 7.7 ppm
The highest sample, in 2024, was 8.3 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 7.7 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 10.2 ppm, in 2017.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
2.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025
2025: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 2.7 ppb, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 5.4 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.9 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Fluoride
- Lead
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claim: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claim: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)
At the tap, or for the whole house?
These come with the water itself, so a whole-house system certified for the same claims treats every tap and shower. A filter at the tap treats drinking water for much less. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Hardness
Moderately hard, 110 mg/L (6.4 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 2021 to 2025.
Hardness is calcium and magnesium. EPA sets no limit for it: it shows up as scale on fixtures and in water heaters, and as soap that won’t lather. USGS calls water above 60 mg/L moderately hard, above 120 hard and above 180 very hard.
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | E. coli was confirmed in the water system.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) | Aug. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2024 | — | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Arsenic, nitrate, chromium (total) and fluoride results here are California’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) comes from EPA’s file alone, which ends in 2019. Ballico CSD’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has newer results for those and the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; California’s results run from Jan. 22, 2020 to April 8, 2026; EPA’s compliance samples are from Sept. 13, 2012 to Nov. 8, 2018.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs California certifies closest to the area Ballico CSD serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Microbac Laboratories, Inc. - Turlock
Turlock, CA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Certified Laboratories - Turlock
Turlock, CA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
Aemtek, Inc.
Modesto, CA · about 24 miles
Certified for bacteria
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, results from Jan. 1, 2020 to July 17, 2026, read Oct. 8, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: California State Water Resources Control Board, ELAP accredited laboratories and their fields of accreditation, read Oct. 17, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Hardness: California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, results from Nov. 16, 2021 to Dec. 4, 2025, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID CA2400167. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on ArsenicWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Arsenic
- Get the utility’s own reportBallico CSD must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show, and has newer results than EPA’s national file for the ones here that come from it.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs