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Is Sacramento, CA tap water safe?

13 utilities serve Sacramento, by EPA’s records. Here is what EPA’s and California’s records show for each, against the legal limits and the stricter health goals.

Matched to your utility using EPA records.

The short answer

2 of the 13 utilities serving Sacramento have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Southwest Tract W M D [sws] and Freeport Marina.

City of Sacramento Main, which serves the most people here, has 3 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: PFOS at 41.4 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.

The water from City of Sacramento Main is soft to very hard depending on the source, 15 to 320 mg/L (0.9 to 18.7 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 Sacramento’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

3 more utilities in Sacramento

By EPA’s estimate, each serves fewer people in Sacramento than those above.

  • Plantation Mobile Home Parkserves 20 people · nearly all in Sacramento · no health-based violations since 2016
  • California State Fairserves 80 people · under 100 in Sacramento · no health-based violations since 2016
  • Cal Am - Ardenserves 4,178 people · based in Sacramento · no 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 Sacramento Main’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.

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Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near Sacramento

A utility tests the water it sends out. A test of your own tap shows what your pipes add, and on a private well it is the only test there is. It takes a lab California certifies.

The 3 labs California certifies closest to Sacramento, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Bend Genetics LLC

    Sacramento, CA · about 3 miles

    (916) 550-1048

  • Continental Water Laboratory

    Sacramento, CA · about 5 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts

    (916) 379-2323

  • Eurofins Sacramento

    West Sacramento, CA · about 6 miles

    Certified for minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, PFAS

    (916) 373-5600

All 145 certified labs for California

ZIP codes in Sacramento

Which ZIP codes are in Sacramento: 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 Sacramento

Other towns in Sacramento County with a page of their own.

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