Is Colusa, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Colusa 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 Colusa, 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 41.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Colusa is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 55 to 98 mg/L (3.2 to 5.8 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 Colusa’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Colusa
California · serves 6,675 people · about 160 in Colusa
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 41.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 55 to 98 mg/L (3.2 to 5.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Colusa Co. Service Area #1 - Century Ranch
California · serves 450 people · under 100 in Colusa
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 49 to 554 mg/L (2.8 to 32.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Colusa Southern System
California · serves 3,474 people · based in Colusa
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 4.9 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 Colusa’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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: Lead, 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: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Colusa
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Colusa, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
Chico, CA · about 34 miles
Certified for bacteria
Cranmer Engineering, Inc.
Grass Valley, CA · about 50 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Eurofins Sacramento Service Center
West Sacramento, CA · about 52 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
ZIP codes in Colusa
Which ZIP codes are in Colusa: 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 Colusa
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Colusa’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