Is King City, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving King City has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Little Bear Water Company.
Cwsc King City, 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 16 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Cwsc King City is very hard, typically 200 mg/L (11.7 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 King City’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Cwsc King City
California · serves 14,046 people · about 150 in King City
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 16 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 200 mg/L (11.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Little Bear Water Company
California · serves 2,327 people · under 100 in King City
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.7 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 221 mg/L (12.9 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Hidden Views MHP WS
California · serves 65 people · under 100 in King City
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 13.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 618 mg/L (36.1 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 Cwsc King City’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 King City
The 3 labs California certifies closest to King City, 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 49 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Monterey Bay Analytical Services, Inc.
Monterey, CA · about 52 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity
CM Analytical, Inc.
Gilroy, CA · about 63 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in King City
Which ZIP codes are in King City: 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 King City
Other towns in Monterey County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Cwsc King City’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