Is Carlsbad, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Carlsbad has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Carlsbad MWD, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 52.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. A health benchmark is a level EPA screens with, not a legal limit.
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 Carlsbad’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Carlsbad MWD
California · serves 96,371 people · nearly all in Carlsbad
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 52.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Olivenhain MWD
California · serves 86,458 people · about 20,700 in Carlsbad
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 54.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 227 mg/L (13.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Vallecitos WD
California · serves 114,700 people · about 6,000 in Carlsbad
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 52 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Carlsbad
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Carlsbad, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Alpha Analytical Laboratories, Inc. - San Diego
Vista, CA · about 2 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Applied Industrial Microbiology, Inc.
Vista, CA · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
EMSL Analytical, Inc.
San Diego, CA · about 22 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Carlsbad: 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 Carlsbad
Other towns in San Diego County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Carlsbad MWD’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