Is Los Gatos, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 3 utilities serving Los Gatos have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: San Jose Water and Kennon Water Company.
San Jose Water, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 6.2 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from San Jose Water is moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 112 to 512 mg/L (6.5 to 29.9 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 Los Gatos’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
San Jose Water
California · serves 1 million people · about 8,200 in Los Gatos
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 6.2 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 112 to 512 mg/L (6.5 to 29.9 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Kennon Water Company
California · serves 142 people · under 100 in Los Gatos
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Mireval Improvement Association
California · serves 60 people · under 100 in Los Gatos
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.0 ppb, above the health goal.
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 San Jose Water’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, 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: PFOS, 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: PFOS, Arsenic
Water testing near Los Gatos
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Los Gatos, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Torrent Laboratory, Inc
Milpitas, CA · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS
Santa Cruz County - Health Services Agency - Environmental Health
Santa Cruz, CA · about 16 miles
Certified for bacteria
Bracewell Engineering, Inc.
Morgan Hill, CA · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Which ZIP codes are in Los Gatos: 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 Los Gatos
Other towns in Santa Clara County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read San Jose Water’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