Is Templeton, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
None of the 3 utilities serving Templeton has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Templeton CSD, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 27.3 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Templeton CSD is moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 90 to 658 mg/L (5.3 to 38.5 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 Templeton’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Templeton CSD
California · serves 8,041 people · about 560 in Templeton
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 27.3 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 90 to 658 mg/L (5.3 to 38.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Paso Robles Water Division
California · serves 31,176 people · under 100 in Templeton
1 result 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: PFOA at 6.3 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 130 to 410 mg/L (7.6 to 24 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Spanish Lakes Mutual Water Co
California · serves 125 people · under 100 in Templeton
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.1 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 310 mg/L (18.1 grains per gallon).
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 Templeton CSD’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: Nitrate, 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: Nitrate, Arsenic
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Nitrate
Water testing near Templeton
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Templeton, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Laboratory
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 23 miles
Certified for bacteria
Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 24 miles
Certified for bacteria
Abalone Coast Analytical, Inc.
San Luis Obispo, CA · about 25 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Templeton: 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 Templeton
Other towns in San Luis Obispo County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Templeton CSD’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