Is Ojai, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
5 of the 8 utilities serving Ojai have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Casitas Municipal Water Dist, Ventura River Water District, Senior Canyon Mutual Water Co and 2 more.
Casitas Municipal Water Dist, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 46 ppb, above the legal limit.
The water from Casitas Municipal Water Dist is very hard, typically 277 mg/L (16.2 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 Ojai’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Casitas Municipal Water Dist
California · serves 11,005 people · about 200 in Ojai
1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 46 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: very hard, typically 277 mg/L (16.2 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Ojai Water System
California · serves 6,801 people · under 100 in Ojai
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 37 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 408 mg/L (23.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Meiners Oaks CWD
California · serves 4,200 people · under 100 in Ojai
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 74.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 490 mg/L (28.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Ventura River Water District
California · serves 6,100 people · under 100 in Ojai
1 result above the legal limit, 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) at 30.5 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: very hard, typically 399 mg/L (23.3 grains per gallon).
3 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Tico Mutual Water Co
California · serves 72 people · under 100 in Ojai
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 11.3 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 266 mg/L (15.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Senior Canyon Mutual Water Co
California · serves 800 people · under 100 in Ojai
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 14.7 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 409 mg/L (23.9 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Siete Robles Mutual Water Co
California · serves 323 people · under 100 in Ojai
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 328 mg/L (19.2 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Krotona Institute
California · serves 30 people · based in Ojai
Nothing in its records is above a health goal. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 177 to 231 mg/L (10.4 to 13.5 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Casitas Municipal Water Dist’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: Nitrate, 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: Nitrate, Arsenic
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Water testing near Ojai
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Ojai, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
Santa Paula, CA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
Capco Analytical Services
Ventura, CA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Ventura County Public Health Laboratory
Oxnard, CA · about 23 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Ojai
Which ZIP codes are in Ojai: 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 Ojai
Other towns in Ventura County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Casitas Municipal Water Dist’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About Haloacetic acids (HAA5)What it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water