Is Bodfish, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 5 utilities serving Bodfish have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Canyon Meadows Mutual Water and Kern Valley Mutual Water Company.
Erskine Creek WC, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 8.5 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Erskine Creek WC is hard to very hard depending on the source, 160 to 190 mg/L (9.4 to 11.1 grains per gallon). How California’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Bodfish’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Erskine Creek WC
California · serves 2,500 people · about 170 in Bodfish
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 8.5 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 160 to 190 mg/L (9.4 to 11.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cws - Lower Bodfish Water System
California · serves 689 people · under 100 in Bodfish
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 7.5 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 254 mg/L (14.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cws - Upper Bodfish Water System
California · serves 244 people · under 100 in Bodfish
1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 13.8 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 109 to 127 mg/L (6.4 to 7.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Canyon Meadows Mutual Water
California · serves 465 people · under 100 in Bodfish
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 15 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 155 to 250 mg/L (9.1 to 14.6 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Kern Valley Mutual Water Company
California · serves 132 people · under 100 in Bodfish
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 3.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 250 mg/L (14.6 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Erskine Creek WC’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
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: Arsenic, Lead
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: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Bodfish
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Bodfish, 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 36 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Zalco Laboratories, Inc.
Bakersfield, CA · about 36 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
BSK Associates - Bakersfield Analytical Laboratory
Bakersfield, CA · about 41 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Bodfish
Which ZIP codes are in Bodfish: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: California State Water Resources Control Board, ELAP accredited laboratories and their fields of accreditation; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Bodfish
Other towns in Kern County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Erskine Creek WC’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water