Descanso Community Water District
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
- 870 people
- Connections
- 315
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Sacramento, CA
- County
- San Diego
- Owner
- Local government
- Hardness
- Very hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s legal limit. The worst: Uranium, above the legal limit. 29 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Uranium, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic and chromium (total): California’s own results, samples taken from Jan. 22, 2020 to April 30, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit1
Uranium
Comes from the source
36.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026 average: 29.2 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 36.5 ppb, in 2024, above EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb. Its highest single sample was 40.2 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its three samples averaged 29.2 ppb. EPA recorded violations for uranium at this utility in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 36.5 ppb, in 2017, and EPA recorded violations in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Below EPA’s limits4
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
24ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 24 ppb
Averaged by year, the highest was 24 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 24 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 30.4 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
5.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 5.7 ppb, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. In 2026, 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 4.1 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.26ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2024
2024, one sample: 0.22 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.26 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2024, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.22 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.28 ppm, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.42ppm
Highest sample; found in 1 of 6
2025 average: 0.21 ppm
The highest sample, in 2025, was 0.42 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its two samples averaged 0.21 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.23 ppm, in 2014.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
3 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Lead
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 58
Claim: Uranium
For: Uranium
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
None of the filters TapBuff has checked so far carry these claims. Search the certifier listings for the claim above.
Compare five-year costsHardness
Very hard, 200 mg/L (11.7 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 2021 to 2024.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | 20.7 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 21.8 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 | 23.8 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2025 | 25.5 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2024 | 24.5 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024 | 24.3 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | 23.3 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 | 22.8 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | 22.3 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2023 | 22 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023 | 22 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023 | 21.7 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022 | 22.5 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2022 | 21.5 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022 | 20.8 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2019 to Sept. 30, 2019 | 20.6 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019 | 20.2 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018 | 22.5 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2018 | 22.7 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 | 22.3 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018 | 27 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2017 | 25 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2017 | 21 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017 | 23 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017 | 29 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2016 | 24.7 PCI/L | Archived |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2016 | 27 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 | 22 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Combined Uranium | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 | 22 PCI/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 10 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Uranium, total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic and chromium (total) results here are California’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Descanso Community Water District’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 Jan. 22, 2020 to April 30, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs California certifies closest to the area Descanso Community Water District serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Environmental Laboratory Network, Inc.
San Diego, CA · about 30 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity
Analytical Environmental Lab, LLC
San Diego, CA · about 31 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, disinfection byproducts
EMSL Analytical, Inc.
San Diego, CA · about 31 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 Oct. 7, 2021 to Aug. 6, 2024, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID CA3710009. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on UraniumWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Uranium
- Get the utility’s own reportDescanso Community Water District must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.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