Is East Pasadena, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 5 utilities serving East Pasadena has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Pasadena Water and Power, which serves the most people here, has 4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 64.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Pasadena Water and Power is hard to very hard depending on the source, 122 to 393 mg/L (7.1 to 23 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 East Pasadena’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Pasadena Water and Power
California · serves 165,448 people · about 3,900 in East Pasadena
4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 64.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 122 to 393 mg/L (7.1 to 23 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cal - Am Water Company - East Pasadena
California · serves 9,963 people · about 300 in East Pasadena
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 13 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 120 to 130 mg/L (7 to 7.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cal/Am Water Company - San Marino
California · serves 48,065 people · about 300 in East Pasadena
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 91.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 76 to 340 mg/L (4.4 to 19.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Kinneloa Irrigation Dist.
California · serves 1,808 people · about 110 in East Pasadena
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 15.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 102 to 296 mg/L (6 to 17.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Sunny Slope Water Co.
California · serves 25,252 people · under 100 in East Pasadena
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 4.0 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 73 to 282 mg/L (4.3 to 16.5 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 Pasadena Water and Power’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: Nitrate, Lead, 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: Nitrate, Lead, Arsenic
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate, Lead
Water testing near East Pasadena
The 3 labs California certifies closest to East Pasadena, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. (LA Testing)
South Pasadena, CA · about 5 miles
Certified for bacteria, asbestos
Weck Laboratories, Inc.
City of Industry, CA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
Michelson Laboratories, Inc.
Commerce, CA · about 13 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
ZIP codes in East Pasadena
Which ZIP codes are in East Pasadena: 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 East Pasadena
Other towns in Los Angeles County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Pasadena Water and Power’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