Is La Palma, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving La Palma has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Golden State WC - West Orange County, 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: PFOS at 16 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Golden State WC - West Orange County is soft to very hard depending on the source, 57 to 360 mg/L (3.3 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 Palma’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Golden State WC - West Orange County
California · serves 114,693 people · about 1,400 in La Palma
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: PFOS at 16 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 57 to 360 mg/L (3.3 to 21.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of la Palma
California · serves 15,948 people · about 280 in La Palma
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 36.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: hard, typically 146 mg/L (8.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cerritos - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 46,851 people · under 100 in La Palma
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOS at 4.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 170 to 217 mg/L (9.9 to 12.7 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 Golden State WC - West Orange County’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: PFOS, PFOA, Arsenic, Lead
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: PFOS, PFOA, Arsenic, Lead
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: PFOS, PFOA, Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near La Palma
The 3 labs California certifies closest to La Palma, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Food Microbiological Laboratories, Inc.
Cypress, CA · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria
AIH Laboratory, Inc.
Anaheim, CA · about 4 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Long Beach Public Health Laboratory
Long Beach, CA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in La Palma
Which ZIP codes are in La Palma: 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 Palma
Other towns in Orange County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Golden State WC - West Orange County’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked 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