Is Richmond, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
East Bay MUD serves Richmond. In EPA’s and California’s records it has 1 result above the health goal, and no health-based violation since 2016.
The worst: Uranium at 5.3 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from East Bay MUD is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 17 to 120 mg/L (1 to 7 grains per gallon). How California’s water compares.
Some homes in a town are on private wells or a small system of their own. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours.
MUD stands for municipal utility district, a local water and sewer district common in Texas.
Water testing near Richmond
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Richmond, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Asbestos TEM Laboratories, Inc
Oakland, CA · about 6 miles
Certified for asbestos
Eurofins Built Environment Testing West, LLC
Emeryville, CA · about 8 miles
Certified for lead and copper
Cel Analytical, Inc.
San Francisco, CA · about 12 miles
Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics
Which ZIP codes are in Richmond: 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 Richmond
Other towns in Contra Costa County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read East Bay MUD’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About UraniumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Uranium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water