Is Eastern Goleta Valley, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 4 utilities serving Eastern Goleta Valley has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Goleta 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 53.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Goleta Water District is very hard, typically 485 mg/L (28.4 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 Eastern Goleta Valley’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Goleta Water District
California · serves 85,535 people · about 24,200 in Eastern Goleta Valley
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 53.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 485 mg/L (28.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Santa Barbara Water Department
California · serves 93,334 people · about 4,300 in Eastern Goleta Valley
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 42.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 54 to 420 mg/L (3.2 to 24.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
La Cumbre Mutual Water Co
California · serves 4,861 people · about 1,800 in Eastern Goleta Valley
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 67.9 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 490 mg/L (28.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Vicente Water Company
California · serves 408 people · about 320 in Eastern Goleta Valley
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 7.9 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 575 mg/L (33.6 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 Goleta 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 Eastern Goleta Valley
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Eastern Goleta Valley, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Clinical Laboratory of San Bernardino II
Lompoc, CA · about 35 miles
Certified for bacteria
Capco Analytical Services
Ventura, CA · about 39 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Ventura County Public Health Laboratory
Oxnard, CA · about 45 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Eastern Goleta Valley: 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 Eastern Goleta Valley
Other towns in Santa Barbara County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Goleta 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