Is Pico Rivera, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 5 utilities serving Pico Rivera has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: San Gabriel Valley Water Co. - El Monte.
Pico WD, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 28 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Pico WD is hard to very hard depending on the source, 167 to 341 mg/L (9.8 to 19.9 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 Pico Rivera’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Pico WD
California · serves 22,051 people · nearly all in Pico Rivera
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 28 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 167 to 341 mg/L (9.8 to 19.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Pico Rivera - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 39,451 people · about 18,700 in Pico Rivera
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 30 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 104 to 212 mg/L (6.1 to 12.4 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Santa Fe Springs - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 19,219 people · about 3,800 in Pico Rivera
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: PFOS at 14 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Whittier - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 49,954 people · about 910 in Pico Rivera
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 19 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: very hard, typically 265 mg/L (15.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Gabriel Valley Water Co. - El Monte
California · serves 240,000 people · about 440 in Pico Rivera
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 23 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 91 to 340 mg/L (5.3 to 19.9 grains per gallon).
2 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 Pico WD’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: PFOS, PFOA, 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: PFOS, PFOA, Arsenic
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: PFOS, PFOA, Arsenic
Water testing near Pico Rivera
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Pico Rivera, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Michelson Laboratories, Inc.
Commerce, CA · about 5 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Weck Laboratories, Inc.
City of Industry, CA · about 5 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
Los Angeles County Public Health Laboratory
Downey, CA · about 8 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Pico Rivera: 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 Pico Rivera
Other towns in Los Angeles County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Pico WD’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked 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