Is Patterson, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Patterson has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Western Hills Water District/Diablo Gran.
City of Patterson, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 74 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Patterson is very hard, typically 400 mg/L (23.4 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 Patterson’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Patterson
California · serves 24,977 people · about 390 in Patterson
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 74 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 400 mg/L (23.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Western Hills Water District/Diablo Gran
California · serves 2,000 people · under 100 in Patterson
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.5 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 105 mg/L (6.1 grains per gallon).
4 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 Patterson’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 Patterson
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Patterson, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Certified Laboratories - Turlock
Turlock, CA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria
Institute of Environmental Health, Inc. dba IEH-JL Analytical
Modesto, CA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Microbac Laboratories, Inc. - Turlock
Turlock, CA · about 20 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, radioactivity
ZIP codes in Patterson
Which ZIP codes are in Patterson: 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 Patterson
Other towns in Stanislaus County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Patterson’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