Is Freedom, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 4 utilities serving Freedom has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
City of Watsonville, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOA at 6.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from City of Watsonville is very hard, typically 230 mg/L (13.5 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 Freedom’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Watsonville
California · serves 65,231 people · about 1,500 in Freedom
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOA at 6.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: very hard, typically 230 mg/L (13.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Psmcsd - Pajaro
California · serves 3,500 people · under 100 in Freedom
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.2 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 277 mg/L (16.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
St Francis Tract Water System
California · serves 118 people · under 100 in Freedom
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Meadowridge Mutual Water Co
California · serves 42 people · based in Freedom
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 8.0 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 180 to 250 mg/L (10.5 to 14.6 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 City of Watsonville’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: PFOA, PFOS, 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: PFOA, PFOS, Lead, 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: PFOA, PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Freedom
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Freedom, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
CM Analytical, Inc.
Gilroy, CA · about 13 miles
Certified for bacteria
Santa Cruz County - Health Services Agency - Environmental Health
Santa Cruz, CA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria
Bracewell Engineering, Inc.
Morgan Hill, CA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Which ZIP codes are in Freedom: 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 Freedom
Other towns in Santa Cruz County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Watsonville’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water