Is Los Osos, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Los Osos 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 Osos Community Services District, 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: PFOA at 14.7 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Los Osos Community Services District is soft to very hard depending on the source, 59 to 331 mg/L (3.5 to 19.4 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 Osos’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Los Osos Community Services District
California · serves 7,086 people · about 3,400 in Los Osos
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: PFOA at 14.7 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 59 to 331 mg/L (3.5 to 19.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Golden State Water Company - Los Osos
California · serves 5,942 people · about 2,900 in Los Osos
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 21 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 88 to 335 mg/L (5.1 to 19.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
S & T Mutual Water Company
California · serves 591 people · about 200 in Los Osos
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 19.1 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 110 mg/L (6.4 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 Los Osos Community Services District’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, PFOS, Nitrate, Lead, 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, PFOS, Nitrate, 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: PFOA, PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Los Osos
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Los Osos, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Abalone Coast Analytical, Inc.
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria
Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria
County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Laboratory
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Los Osos
Which ZIP codes are in Los Osos: 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 Osos
Other towns in San Luis Obispo County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Los Osos Community Services District’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