Is Colton, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 6 utilities serving Colton 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 Colton, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 18 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from City of Colton is hard to very hard depending on the source, 125 to 289 mg/L (7.3 to 16.9 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 Colton’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Colton
California · serves 46,525 people · about 25,000 in Colton
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 18 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 125 to 289 mg/L (7.3 to 16.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
West Valley Water District
California · serves 96,123 people · about 3,300 in Colton
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 14 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 88 to 245 mg/L (5.1 to 14.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Terrace Water Company
California · serves 2,400 people · about 1,200 in Colton
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 8.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 280 mg/L (16.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Bernardino City
California · serves 214,665 people · about 500 in Colton
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 15 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 120 to 320 mg/L (7 to 18.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Reche Canyon Mutual Water Co.
California · serves 150 people · nearly all in Colton
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 4.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 84 to 195 mg/L (4.9 to 11.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Olive Dell Ranch
California · serves 45 people · nearly all in Colton
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 120 mg/L (7 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 City of Colton’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: PFOS, PFOA, 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: PFOS, PFOA, 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: PFOS, PFOA, Arsenic
Water testing near Colton
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Colton, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
BSK Associates - San Bernardino Analytical Laboratory
San Bernardino, CA · about 2 miles
Certified for bacteria
Clinical Laboratory of San Bernardino, Inc.
Grand Terrace, CA · about 2 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Babcock Laboratories, Inc.
Riverside, CA · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
ZIP codes in Colton
Which ZIP codes are in Colton: 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 Colton
Other towns in San Bernardino County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Colton’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water