Is Cathedral City, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Cathedral 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.
Coachella Vwd: Cove Community, 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 17.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Coachella Vwd: Cove Community is soft to very hard depending on the source, 7.5 to 326 mg/L (0.4 to 19.1 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 Cathedral City’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Coachella Vwd: Cove Community
California · serves 270,000 people · about 43,500 in Cathedral City
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 17.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 7.5 to 326 mg/L (0.4 to 19.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Desert Water Agency
California · serves 75,588 people · about 4,900 in Cathedral City
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 18.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 34 to 330 mg/L (2 to 19.3 grains per gallon).
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 Coachella Vwd: Cove Community’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 Cathedral City
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Cathedral City, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Babcock Laboratories, Inc.
Riverside, CA · about 51 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
BSK Associates - San Bernardino Analytical Laboratory
San Bernardino, CA · about 52 miles
Certified for bacteria
Clinical Laboratory of San Bernardino, Inc.
Grand Terrace, CA · about 54 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Which ZIP codes are in Cathedral 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 Cathedral City
Other towns in Riverside County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Coachella Vwd: Cove Community’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