Is San Clemente, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving San Clemente has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Camp Pendleton (North).
City of San Clemente, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 60 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of San Clemente is very hard, typically 219 mg/L (12.8 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 San Clemente’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of San Clemente
California · serves 51,545 people · about 24,900 in San Clemente
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 60 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 219 mg/L (12.8 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Santa Margarita Water District
California · serves 165,275 people · about 11,500 in San Clemente
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 50.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Camp Pendleton (North)
California · serves 11,576 people · about 1,500 in San Clemente
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 15.1 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 110 to 275 mg/L (6.4 to 16.1 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in City of San Clemente’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: 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: 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: Arsenic
Water testing near San Clemente
The 3 labs California certifies closest to San Clemente, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Sierra Analytical Labs, Inc.
Laguna Hills, CA · about 10 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals
Onterris Laboratories, LLC
Orange, CA · about 29 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Envirocheck, Inc.
Orange, CA · about 29 miles
Certified for lead and copper
Which ZIP codes are in San Clemente: 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 San Clemente
Other towns in Orange County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of San Clemente’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