Is Orcutt, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 5 utilities serving Orcutt has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Rolling Hills Mutual Water Company.
Golden State Water Company - Orcutt, which serves the most people here, has 4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 24.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Golden State Water Company - Orcutt is very hard, typically 380 mg/L (22.2 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 Orcutt’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Golden State Water Company - Orcutt
California · serves 34,267 people · about 3,000 in Orcutt
4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 24.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 380 mg/L (22.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Santa Maria Utilities Department
California · serves 112,208 people · about 830 in Orcutt
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Nitrate at 19 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 500 mg/L (29.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Golden State Water Company - Tanglewood
California · serves 1,979 people · about 200 in Orcutt
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 3.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 405 mg/L (23.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Golden State Water Company - Lake Marie
California · serves 548 people · under 100 in Orcutt
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 365 mg/L (21.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rolling Hills Mutual Water Company
California · serves 66 people · under 100 in Orcutt
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.6 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, 302 mg/L (17.7 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 Golden State Water Company - Orcutt’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, Lead, 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, Lead, 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, Lead
Water testing near Orcutt
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Orcutt, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Oilfield Environmental & Compliance Inc. (OEC)
Santa Maria, CA · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Clinical Laboratory of San Bernardino II
Lompoc, CA · about 13 miles
Certified for bacteria
Abalone Coast Analytical, Inc.
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 32 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Orcutt
Which ZIP codes are in Orcutt: 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 Orcutt
Other towns in Santa Barbara County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Golden State Water Company - Orcutt’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