Is Rio Dell, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Rio Dell has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
City of Rio Dell, which serves the most people here, has nothing above a health goal in EPA’s and California’s records. That data covers what its report lists, not everything.
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 Rio Dell’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Rio Dell
California · serves 3,300 people · about 420 in Rio Dell
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Fortuna
California · serves 12,133 people · about 110 in Rio Dell
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 1.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 117 to 205 mg/L (6.8 to 12 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Rio Dell
The 2 labs California certifies closest to Rio Dell, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory
Eureka, CA · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria
Microbac Laboratories, Inc. - Arcata
Arcata, CA · about 27 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Which ZIP codes are in Rio Dell: 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 Rio Dell
Other towns in Humboldt County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Rio Dell’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water