Is Soledad, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 4 utilities serving Soledad has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: San Vicente MWC.
City of Soledad, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 32 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Soledad is very hard, typically 260 mg/L (15.2 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 Soledad’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Soledad
California · serves 19,732 people · about 470 in Soledad
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 32 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 260 mg/L (15.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Correctional Training Facility - Soledad
California · serves 4,357 people · under 100 in Soledad
4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 23 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 275 mg/L (16.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Salinas Valley State Prison
California · serves 2,930 people · under 100 in Soledad
4 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 21.5 ppm, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
San Vicente MWC
California · serves 69 people · under 100 in Soledad
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 16.6 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 422 mg/L (24.7 grains per gallon).
4 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 Soledad’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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 Soledad
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Soledad, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Monterey County Consolidated Environmental Laboratory
Salinas, CA · about 27 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Monterey Bay Analytical Services, Inc.
Monterey, CA · about 29 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, radioactivity
CM Analytical, Inc.
Gilroy, CA · about 44 miles
Certified for bacteria
ZIP codes in Soledad
Which ZIP codes are in Soledad: 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 Soledad
Other towns in Monterey County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Soledad’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