Is Ontario, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Ontario has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Ontario Municipal Utilities Company, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 30 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Ontario Municipal Utilities Company is moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 83 to 190 mg/L (4.8 to 11.1 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 Ontario’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Ontario Municipal Utilities Company
California · serves 185,010 people · nearly all in Ontario
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 30 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 83 to 190 mg/L (4.8 to 11.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cucamonga Valley Water District
California · serves 213,375 people · about 4,400 in Ontario
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 16 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 86 to 244 mg/L (5 to 14.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Monte Vista WD
California · serves 56,390 people · about 2,800 in Ontario
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 5.6 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 71 to 215 mg/L (4.2 to 12.6 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 Ontario Municipal Utilities Company’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: PFOA, PFOS, Nitrate, 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: PFOA, PFOS, Nitrate, 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: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Ontario
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Ontario, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
A & R Laboratories, Inc.
Ontario, CA · about 1 mile
Certified for bacteria
Western Analytical Laboratories, Inc.
Chino, CA · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics
Enviro-Chem, Inc.
Pomona, CA · about 6 miles
Certified for metals
Which ZIP codes are in Ontario: 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 Ontario
Other towns in San Bernardino County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Ontario Municipal Utilities Company’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked 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