Is Palo Cedro, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 4 utilities serving Palo Cedro have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Mel Mar Mutual Water Co and Shasta Co CSA # 8 Palo Cedro.
Bella Vista Water District, 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 38.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Bella Vista Water District is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 45 to 71 mg/L (2.6 to 4.2 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 Palo Cedro’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Bella Vista Water District
California · serves 18,767 people · about 540 in Palo Cedro
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 38.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 45 to 71 mg/L (2.6 to 4.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Redding
California · serves 90,254 people · about 130 in Palo Cedro
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: PFOA at 16.2 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: soft to hard depending on the source, 34 to 142 mg/L (2 to 8.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Mel Mar Mutual Water Co
California · serves 300 people · under 100 in Palo Cedro
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Shasta Co CSA # 8 Palo Cedro
California · serves 261 people · under 100 in Palo Cedro
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 0.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: hard, 153 mg/L (8.9 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 Bella Vista Water District’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, 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: 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: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Palo Cedro
The 2 labs California certifies closest to Palo Cedro, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Redding
Redding, CA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria
Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
Chico, CA · about 67 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Palo Cedro: 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 Palo Cedro
Other towns in Shasta County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Bella Vista Water District’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