Is Dana Point, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Dana Point has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
South Coast Water District, 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 48 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from South Coast Water District is very hard, typically 750 mg/L (43.9 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 Dana Point’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
South Coast Water District
California · serves 41,194 people · about 10,900 in Dana Point
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 48 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 750 mg/L (43.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Santa Margarita Water District - Id9
California · serves 35,309 people · about 3,100 in Dana Point
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 57.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 105 to 720 mg/L (6.1 to 42.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Moulton Niguel Water District
California · serves 168,315 people · about 3,000 in Dana Point
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 43 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
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 South Coast Water District’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 Dana Point
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Dana Point, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Sierra Analytical Labs, Inc.
Laguna Hills, CA · about 8 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals
Onterris Laboratories, LLC
Orange, CA · about 25 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Envirocheck, Inc.
Orange, CA · about 25 miles
Certified for lead and copper
Which ZIP codes are in Dana Point: 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 Dana Point
Other towns in Orange County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read South Coast Water District’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