Is California City, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving California City has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
City of California City, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 49.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of California City is moderately hard, typically 102 mg/L (6 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 California City’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of California City
California · serves 14,198 people · about 7,100 in California City
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 49.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 102 mg/L (6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Mojave PUD
California · serves 4,699 people · about 140 in California City
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 66.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 255 mg/L (14.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Wonder Acres Water System
California · serves 92 people · under 100 in California City
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.2 ppb, above the health goal.
No 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 City of California City’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
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
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
Water testing near California City
The 3 labs California certifies closest to California City, 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 60 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Zalco Laboratories, Inc.
Bakersfield, CA · about 61 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Pat-Chem Laboratories
San Fernando, CA · about 62 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Which ZIP codes are in California City: 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 California City
Other towns in Kern County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of California City’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water