Is Edwards AFB, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Edwards AFB have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Edwards AFB - Main Base and North Edwards WD.
Edwards AFB - Main Base, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 20.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Edwards AFB - Main Base is soft to hard depending on the source, 56 to 131 mg/L (3.3 to 7.7 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 Edwards AFB’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Edwards AFB - Main Base
California · serves 661 people · about 160 in Edwards AFB
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 20.8 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to hard depending on the source, 56 to 131 mg/L (3.3 to 7.7 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
North Edwards WD
California · serves 1,105 people · under 100 in Edwards AFB
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 47.3 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 61 to 310 mg/L (3.6 to 18.1 grains per gallon).
30 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 Edwards AFB - Main Base’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, Lead
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, Lead
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, Lead
Water testing near Edwards AFB
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Edwards AFB, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Geo-Monitor, Inc
Hesperia, CA · about 47 miles
Certified for bacteria
Pat-Chem Laboratories
San Fernando, CA · about 55 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
EMSL Analytical, Inc. (LA Testing)
South Pasadena, CA · about 59 miles
Certified for bacteria, asbestos
Which ZIP codes are in Edwards AFB: 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 Edwards AFB
Other towns in Kern County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Edwards AFB - Main Base’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