Laurel Community League
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
- 64 people
- Connections
- 23
- Water source
- Groundwater influenced by surface water
- Based in
- Los Gatos, CA
- County
- Santa Cruz
- Owner
- Private
- Hardness
- Very hard
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
1 result is above EPA’s legal limit, and 2 more are above the health goal. The worst: Copper, above the action level. 2 health-based violations since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2022 to 2026. Lead at 0.7 mg/L (2024) is left out of this report: more than 20 times the action level, it looks like µg/L entered as mg/L.
Arsenic, uranium, haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, chromium (total) and nitrate: California’s own results, samples taken from Nov. 4, 2020 to May 14, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the legal limit1
Copper
Comes from pipes, often your own
1.6ppm
90th percentile, 2026
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.6 ppm, above EPA’s action level of 1.3 ppm.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Copper Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Copper Reduction”
Above the health goal2
Arsenic
Comes from the source
1.9ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 1.9 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. 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 1.1 ppb, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction”
Uranium
Comes from the source
0.34ppb
Highest yearly average, 2024
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.34 ppb, in 2024: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 0.74 ppb. That is the only year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Below EPA’s limits4
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
55.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 55.5 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 63 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA recorded no violation for haloacetic acids (HAA5) at this utility since 2020.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
48ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 48 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 49 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.6 ppb, in 2017.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.7ppm
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026, one sample: 0.6 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.7 ppm, in 2024, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.6 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.98 ppm, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
3.3ppb
Highest yearly average, 2021 to 2026
2026: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 3.3 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 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 0.29 ppb, in 2012.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Lead
- Nitrate
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: Copper Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction
For: Copper, Arsenic
Other certifiers’ wording: Arsenic (III) (50 ppb influent level)
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Copper Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Uranium
For: Copper, Arsenic, Uranium
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
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: Copper, 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: Copper, Arsenic
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Copper, Arsenic
Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Original Filter (OB60, OB03)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Copper
Hardness
Very hard, 389 mg/L (22.7 grains per gallon), at its one sampling point, 2019 to 2026.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | Non-Acute MRDL | Oct. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 | — | Archived |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Water drawn from a river, lake or reservoir was not filtered as required.EPA: Failure to Filter (SWTR) | Jan. 1, 2017 | — | Addressed |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 3 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Arsenic, uranium, haloacetic acids (HAA5), total trihalomethanes (TTHM), fluoride, chromium (total) and nitrate results here are California’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Laurel Community League’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 Nov. 4, 2020 to May 14, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs California certifies closest to the area Laurel Community League serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Santa Cruz County - Health Services Agency - Environmental Health
Santa Cruz, CA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
Torrent Laboratory, Inc
Milpitas, CA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS
Bracewell Engineering, Inc.
Morgan Hill, CA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
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 May 7, 2019 to March 18, 2026, read Oct. 10, 2026
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID CA4400528. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Read up on the 3 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Copper
- Get the utility’s own reportLaurel Community League 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