Skip to content
TapBuff
ZIP

Is San Jose, CA tap water safe?

10 utilities serve San Jose, 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 10 utilities serving San Jose have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: San Jose Water and Roseview Heights Mutual Water Company.

San Jose Water, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 6.2 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.

The water from San Jose Water is moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 112 to 512 mg/L (6.5 to 29.9 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 San Jose’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.

What handles it

Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in San Jose Water’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

Every claim, and more filters, in the full report

Water testing near San Jose

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 San Jose, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.

  • Torrent Laboratory, Inc

    Milpitas, CA · about 8 miles

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

    (408) 263-5258

  • AEMTEK, Inc

    Fremont, CA · about 14 miles

    Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics

    (510) 979-1979

  • Bracewell Engineering, Inc.

    Morgan Hill, CA · about 17 miles

    Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics

    (669) 258-5821

All 145 certified labs for California

ZIP codes in San Jose

Which ZIP codes are in San Jose: 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 Jose

Other towns in Santa Clara County with a page of their own.

What to do next