Is Newport Beach, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Newport Beach has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
City of Newport Beach, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 36.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Newport Beach is soft to very hard depending on the source, 51 to 361 mg/L (3 to 21.1 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 Newport Beach’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Newport Beach
California · serves 69,520 people · nearly all in Newport Beach
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 36.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 51 to 361 mg/L (3 to 21.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Irvine Ranch Water District
California · serves 450,323 people · about 10,300 in Newport Beach
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 67.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, 214 to 293 mg/L (12.5 to 17.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Mesa Water District
California · serves 110,000 people · about 2,500 in Newport Beach
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 37.3 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 21 to 239 mg/L (1.2 to 13.9 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 City of Newport Beach’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
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
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
Water testing near Newport Beach
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Newport Beach, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
LA Testing
Huntington Beach, CA · about 12 miles
Certified for lead and copper, metals
Sierra Analytical Labs, Inc.
Laguna Hills, CA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals
Envirocheck, Inc.
Orange, CA · about 13 miles
Certified for lead and copper
Which ZIP codes are in Newport Beach: 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 Newport Beach
Other towns in Orange County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Newport Beach’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water