Is Elkhorn, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 5 utilities serving Elkhorn has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Harbor View WA.
Castroville Community Services District, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded, 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Arsenic at 13.2 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Castroville Community Services District is soft to very hard depending on the source, 24 to 565 mg/L (1.4 to 33 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 Elkhorn’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Castroville Community Services District
California · serves 7,515 people · about 2,200 in Elkhorn
1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded, 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Arsenic at 13.2 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 24 to 565 mg/L (1.4 to 33 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cwsc Oak Hills
California · serves 3,214 people · about 970 in Elkhorn
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 28.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 160 to 300 mg/L (9.4 to 17.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cwsc Salinas
California · serves 114,286 people · about 140 in Elkhorn
4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 42 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 117 to 600 mg/L (6.8 to 35.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Harbor View WA
California · serves 75 people · nearly all in Elkhorn
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 0.63 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 67 mg/L (3.9 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Green Acres WA
California · serves 56 people · under 100 in Elkhorn
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 8.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 716 mg/L (41.8 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 Castroville Community Services 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 Elkhorn
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Elkhorn, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Monterey County Consolidated Environmental Laboratory
Salinas, CA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Monterey Bay Analytical Services, Inc.
Monterey, CA · about 15 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity
CM Analytical, Inc.
Gilroy, CA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Elkhorn: 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 Elkhorn
Other towns in Monterey County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Castroville Community Services District’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water