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Cws - Visaliawater quality report, rewritten

Serves
148,496
Connections
47,895
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
San Jose, CA
County
Tulare
Owner
Private

ZIP codes served: 93257, 93274, 93277, 93291, 93292

PWSID CA54100162026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS was found in four of 86 samples, highest 6.9 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFOA was found in one of 86 samples, highest 4.2 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

No health-based violations on file since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample. Every scale puts the legal line at its middle.

PFOS

Comes from the source

6.9ppt

Highest of 86 samples; found in four

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOS ReductionAlso listed as: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from March 12, 2024 to Oct. 16, 2024. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFOA

Comes from the source

4.2ppt

Highest of 86 samples; found in one

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOA ReductionAlso listed as: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken on March 12, 2024. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFBS

Comes from the source

4.3ppt

Highest of 86 samples; found in two

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from March 12, 2024 to Dec. 7, 2024. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFPeA34 ppt2 of 85None covers it
PFBA28 ppt2 of 86None covers it
PFHxA15 ppt3 of 86None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Jan. 16, 2024 to Aug. 22, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

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

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: PFOS Reduction, PFOA Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

    For: PFOS, PFOA

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.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

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

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Cws - Visalia’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • 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.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Jan. 16, 2024 to Aug. 22, 2025.

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