Is Mendocino, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 6 utilities serving Mendocino have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Surfwood Mutual Water Corporation and Hills Ranch Mutual Water Company.
Surfwood Mutual Water Corporation, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 70 ppb, above the legal limit.
The water from Surfwood Mutual Water Corporation is soft, 24 mg/L (1.4 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 Mendocino’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Surfwood Mutual Water Corporation
California · serves 160 people · under 100 in Mendocino
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 70 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: soft, 24 mg/L (1.4 grains per gallon).
37 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Hills Ranch Mutual Water Company
California · serves 79 people · under 100 in Mendocino
1 result above the action level. The worst: Lead at 16 ppb, above the action level. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 53 to 271 mg/L (3.1 to 15.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Shorelands Road & Water Company
California · serves 78 people · under 100 in Mendocino
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 42 to 87 mg/L (2.5 to 5.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Seafair Road and Water Company
California · serves 50 people · under 100 in Mendocino
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 48 to 82 mg/L (2.8 to 4.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Big River Vista Mutual Water Company
California · serves 36 people · under 100 in Mendocino
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: soft, 16 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Point of View Mutual Water Co
California · serves 36 people · under 100 in Mendocino
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 1.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to hard depending on the source, 37 to 160 mg/L (2.2 to 9.4 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 Surfwood Mutual Water Corporation’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Aquasana Clean Water Machine (AQ-CWM2)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System (87340)
Countertop
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Ninja HydraSense Countertop Water Filtration System (WF1001)
Countertop
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead
Water testing near Mendocino
The lab California certifies closest to Mendocino, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Alpha Analytical Laboratories, Inc. - Ukiah
Ukiah, CA · about 31 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
ZIP codes in Mendocino
Which ZIP codes are in Mendocino: 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 Mendocino
Other towns in Mendocino County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Surfwood Mutual Water Corporation’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)What it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water