Is Kernville, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
3 of the 8 utilities serving Kernville have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Cws - Kernville, Burlando Heights Mutual Water Co. and R - Ranch in the Sequoias.
Cws - Kernville, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 7.4 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Cws - Kernville is soft to very hard depending on the source, 38 to 223 mg/L (2.2 to 13.1 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 Kernville’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Cws - Kernville
California · serves 2,376 people · about 140 in Kernville
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 7.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 38 to 223 mg/L (2.2 to 13.1 grains per gallon).
12 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Riverkern Mutual Water Company
California · serves 272 people · under 100 in Kernville
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 6.9 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 93 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Sierra Meadows
California · serves 68 people · under 100 in Kernville
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 62 mg/L (3.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Burlando Heights Mutual Water Co.
California · serves 44 people · under 100 in Kernville
2 results above the action level and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 96 ppb, above the action level. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 72 mg/L (4.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Frontier Trails Homeowners Assoc Inc.
California · serves 26 people · under 100 in Kernville
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 117 mg/L (6.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Camp Owen Water System
California · serves 35 people · under 100 in Kernville
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 76 mg/L (4.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rivernook Campground
California · serves 70 people · under 100 in Kernville
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 109 mg/L (6.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
R - Ranch in the Sequoias
California · serves 25 people · based in Kernville
1 result above the legal limit and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 9.3 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: soft, typically 45 mg/L (2.6 grains per gallon).
21 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 Cws - Kernville’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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: 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: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Kernville
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Kernville, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pace Analytical Services, LLC dba BC Laboratories, Inc.
Bakersfield, CA · about 43 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Zalco Laboratories, Inc.
Bakersfield, CA · about 43 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
BSK Associates - Bakersfield Analytical Laboratory
Bakersfield, CA · about 48 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Kernville
Which ZIP codes are in Kernville: 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 Kernville
Other towns in Tulare County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Cws - Kernville’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water