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Carmel Riviera MWC

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
584 people
Connections
176
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Carmel, CA
County
Monterey
Owner
Private
Hardness
Varies by source
The ZIP code it serves

93923

The short answer

2 results are above the limit’s level with no violation recorded, and 3 more are above the health goal. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5), above the limit’s level, no violation. No health-based violations on file since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2012 to 2026.

Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 1.4 ppm, for the period ending July 31, 1993. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.

Haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), uranium, arsenic, fluoride, nitrate and chromium (total): California’s own results, samples taken from March 4, 2020 to June 24, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the limit’s level, no violation recorded2

Haloacetic acids (HAA5)

Forms or is added in treatment

Above the limit’s level, no violation

85ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

Averaged by year, the highest was 85 ppb, in 2026, above EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 107 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA judges this limit on running averages at each sampling point, and recorded no violation for haloacetic acids (HAA5) at this utility since 2020. Results like these with no violation often include water sampled before treatment or blending; the utility’s annual report says what reaches the tap. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 81.5 ppb, in 2017.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)

Forms or is added in treatment

Above the limit’s level, no violation

96ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

Averaged by year, the highest was 96 ppb, in 2026, above EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 112 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA judges this limit on running averages at each sampling point, and recorded no violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility since 2020. Results like these with no violation often include water sampled before treatment or blending; the utility’s annual report says what reaches the tap. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 65.5 ppb, in 2017.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”

Above the health goal3

Uranium

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

14.9ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

2026 average: 6.0 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 14.9 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 24 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its two samples averaged 6.0 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 24.6 ppb, in 2015.

What handles it

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

3.7ppb

90th percentile, 2024 to 2026

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 3.7 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

Arsenic

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

1.3ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025

Averaged by year, the highest was 1.3 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 2.2 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 1.0 ppb, in 2019.

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 limits3

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

2.2ppm

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026

Averaged by year, the highest was 2.2 ppm, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 3.2 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 2.1 ppm, in 2013.

What handles it

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Below EPA’s limits

2.8ppm

Highest sample; found in 38 of 64

2025 average: 0.59 ppm

The highest sample, in 2025, was 2.8 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its 12 samples averaged 0.59 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 3.3 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

Below EPA’s limits

1.1ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2025

Averaged by year, the highest was 1.1 ppb, in 2025, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. Its highest single sample was 7.7 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 5.0 ppb, in 2014.

What handles it

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

    Claims: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead, Arsenic

    Other certifiers’ wording: VOC Reduction; Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction, Uranium, Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Uranium, Lead, Arsenic

    Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction; Arsenic (V) (300 ppb influent level)

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. 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

Compare five-year costs

The best water filters for lead, ranked

The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked

Hardness

Moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 75 to 188 mg/L (4.4 to 11 grains per gallon), across 14 sampling points, 2019 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.

Softeners compared, salt includedSoftener or salt-free conditioner?California water hardness, utility by utility

Violations since 2016

No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.

What this report can’t tell you

  • Everything else. Haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), uranium, arsenic, fluoride, nitrate and chromium (total) results here are California’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Carmel Riviera MWC’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has 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 March 4, 2020 to June 24, 2026.

Testing your own tap

Carmel Riviera MWC’s results are for the water it sends out. What your own service line, solder and fixtures add shows up only in a test of your tap, by a lab California certifies.

The 3 labs California certifies closest to the area Carmel Riviera MWC serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Monterey Bay Analytical Services, Inc.

    Monterey, CA · about 9 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity

    (831) 375-6227

  • Monterey County Consolidated Environmental Laboratory

    Salinas, CA · about 21 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics

    (831) 755-4516

  • Santa Cruz County - Health Services Agency - Environmental Health

    Santa Cruz, CA · about 39 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (831) 454-4624

All 145 certified labs for California

Sources

PWSID CA2701254. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Also in Monterey County

All California utilities

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