Is La Crescenta-Montrose, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving La Crescenta-Montrose has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Los Angeles - City, Dept. of Water & Power.
Crescenta Valley CWD, which serves the most people here, has 1 result 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 5.1 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Crescenta Valley CWD is hard to very hard depending on the source, 140 to 360 mg/L (8.2 to 21.1 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 La Crescenta-Montrose’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Crescenta Valley CWD
California · serves 28,162 people · about 7,800 in La Crescenta-Montrose
1 result 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 5.1 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 140 to 360 mg/L (8.2 to 21.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Glendale - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 192,212 people · about 2,600 in La Crescenta-Montrose
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOS at 15.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: very hard, typically 370 mg/L (21.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Los Angeles - City, Dept. of Water & Power
California · serves 3.9 million people · about 180 in La Crescenta-Montrose
4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 100 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 94 to 544 mg/L (5.5 to 31.8 grains per gallon).
2 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 Crescenta Valley CWD’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, Nitrate, 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, Nitrate, 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, Arsenic
Water testing near La Crescenta-Montrose
The 3 labs California certifies closest to La Crescenta-Montrose, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. (LA Testing)
South Pasadena, CA · about 9 miles
Certified for bacteria, asbestos
Pat-Chem Laboratories
San Fernando, CA · about 13 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Positive Lab Service
Los Angeles, CA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Which ZIP codes are in La Crescenta-Montrose: 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 La Crescenta-Montrose
Other towns in Los Angeles County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Crescenta Valley CWD’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