Is Mammoth Lakes, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Mammoth Lakes has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Mammoth CWD.
Mammoth CWD, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Arsenic at 61.1 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Mammoth CWD is soft to very hard depending on the source, 18 to 205 mg/L (1.1 to 12 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 Mammoth Lakes’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Mammoth CWD
California · serves 8,234 people · about 760 in Mammoth Lakes
1 result above the limit’s level with no violation recorded, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Arsenic at 61.1 ppb, above the limit’s level, no violation. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 18 to 205 mg/L (1.1 to 12 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Mountain Meadows MWC
California · serves 525 people · under 100 in Mammoth Lakes
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 26.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, typically 30 mg/L (1.8 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 Mammoth 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: 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: 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: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Mammoth Lakes
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Mammoth Lakes, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Inyo County Water Lab
Independence, CA · about 62 miles
Certified for bacteria
SGS North America, Inc.
Clovis, CA · about 66 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS
BSK Associates
Fresno, CA · about 72 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
ZIP codes in Mammoth Lakes
Which ZIP codes are in Mammoth Lakes: 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 Mammoth Lakes
Other towns in Mono County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Mammoth CWD’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water