Is Montebello, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 7 utilities serving Montebello has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: San Gabriel Valley Water Co. - El Monte.
Montebello Land & Water Co., which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 53 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Montebello Land & Water Co. is very hard, typically 205 mg/L (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 Montebello’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Montebello Land & Water Co.
California · serves 26,554 people · nearly all in Montebello
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 53 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: very hard, typically 205 mg/L (12 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
South Montebello Irrigation Dist.
California · serves 15,021 people · nearly all in Montebello
2 results 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 20.1 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 122 to 227 mg/L (7.1 to 13.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Gabriel Valley Water Co. - El Monte
California · serves 240,000 people · about 8,700 in Montebello
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 23 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 91 to 340 mg/L (5.3 to 19.9 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Gabriel Valley Water Co - Montebello 1
California · serves 5,205 people · about 1,800 in Montebello
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
California Water Service Co. - Ela
California · serves 142,140 people · about 130 in Montebello
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 8.6 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 144 to 335 mg/L (8.4 to 19.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Gabriel Valley Water Co - Montebello 2
California · serves 3,731 people · under 100 in Montebello
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 54 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Commerce - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 3,598 people · lists Montebello among the places it serves
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029, 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOA at 9.3 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard, typically 152 mg/L (8.9 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 Montebello Land & Water Co.’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
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
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
Water testing near Montebello
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Montebello, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Michelson Laboratories, Inc.
Commerce, CA · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Los Angeles County Public Health Laboratory
Downey, CA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria
Weck Laboratories, Inc.
City of Industry, CA · about 8 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
ZIP codes in Montebello
Which ZIP codes are in Montebello: 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 Montebello
Other towns in Los Angeles County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Montebello Land & Water Co.’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