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Spring Mountain Mutual Water Company

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
26 people
Connections
13
Water source
Groundwater
Based in
Woody, CA
County
Kern
Owner
Private
Hardness
Hard
The ZIP code it serves

93287

The short answer

2 results are above EPA’s legal limit, and 3 more are above the health goal. The worst: Copper, above the action level. 15 health-based violations since 2016.

What handles it

What was found

Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2021.

Nitrate, arsenic, uranium, fluoride, chromium (total) and total trihalomethanes (TTHM): California’s own results, samples taken from March 18, 2020 to Nov. 22, 2021, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.

Above the legal limit2

Copper

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the action level

4.5ppm

90th percentile, 2019 to 2021

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 4.5 ppm, above EPA’s action level of 1.3 ppm.

What handles it

Nitrate

Comes from the source

Above the legal limit

16ppm

Highest sample; found in 16 of 16

2021 average: 15 ppm

From 2020 to 2021, 16 samples were above EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm, the highest 16 ppm in 2021. 16 have no follow-up sample on file within 30 days. That was also the latest year on file, and its eight samples averaged 15 ppm, above the limit. EPA recorded violations for nitrate at this utility in 2020 and 2021. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 16 ppm, in 2018, and EPA recorded violations in 2018 and 2019.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
  • NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”

Above the health goal3

Lead

Comes from pipes, often your own

Above the health goal

13ppb

90th percentile, 2019 to 2021

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 13 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027, and this result is at or above that. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

Arsenic

Comes from the source

Above the health goal

5.4ppb

Highest yearly average, 2021

Averaged by year, the highest was 5.4 ppb, in 2021: below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 5.5 ppb. That is the only year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 4.3 ppb, in 2018.

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

Above the health goal

9.8ppb

Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2021

2021 average: 8.2 ppb

Averaged by year, the highest was 9.8 ppb, in 2020: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. Its highest single sample was 11.9 ppb. In 2021, the latest year on file, its four samples averaged 8.2 ppb. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 9.0 ppb, in 2019.

What handles it

Below EPA’s limits1

Fluoride

Forms or is added in treatment

Below EPA’s limits

0.22ppm

Highest yearly average, 2021

Averaged by year, the highest was 0.22 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. That is the only year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.22 ppm, in 2018.

What handles it

2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
  • Chromium (total)
  • 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

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge), Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction

    For: Copper, Nitrate, Lead, Arsenic

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

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Copper Reduction, Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction, Lead Reduction, Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=50 ppb Reduction, Uranium

    For: Copper, Nitrate, Lead, Arsenic, Uranium

    Other certifiers’ wording: Nitrate; 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 reverse osmosis systems, ranked

The best water filters for lead, ranked

Hardness

Hard, typically 180 mg/L (10.5 grains per gallon), across 2 sampling points, in 2021.

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 at 10.5 grains per gallon, salt includedSoftener or salt-free conditioner?California water hardness, utility by utility

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Lead and Copper Rule RevisionsThe required inventory of lead service lines was not completed or submitted on time.EPA: LSL InventoryOct. 17, 2024—Unaddressed
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 202113 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 202116 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2021 to June 30, 202115 MREMYArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2021 to March 31, 202116 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 202015 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 202015 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2020 to March 31, 202014 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 201915 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2019 to June 30, 201915 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 201915 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleOct. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 201815 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleJuly 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 201816 MG/LArchived
NitrateA sample was above the legal limit, for a contaminant judged one sample at a time.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single SampleApril 1, 2018 to June 30, 201816 MG/LArchived
Lead and Copper RuleLead service lines were not replaced as required.EPA: Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR)Jan. 1, 2018—Resolved
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. Nitrate, arsenic, uranium, fluoride, chromium (total) and total trihalomethanes (TTHM) results here are California’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Spring Mountain Mutual Water Company’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 18, 2020 to Nov. 22, 2021.

Testing your own tap

Spring Mountain Mutual Water Company’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 Spring Mountain Mutual Water Company serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Pace Analytical Services, LLC dba BC Laboratories, Inc.

    Bakersfield, CA · about 25 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity

    (661) 327-4911

  • Zalco Laboratories, Inc.

    Bakersfield, CA · about 25 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts

    (661) 395-0539

  • BSK Associates - Bakersfield Analytical Laboratory

    Bakersfield, CA · about 26 miles

    Certified for bacteria

    (661) 327-0671

All 145 certified labs for California

Sources

PWSID CA1500566. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.

Also in Kern County

All California utilities

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