Is Torrance, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 4 utilities serving Torrance has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Los Angeles - City, Dept. of Water & Power.
Torrance - City, Water Dept., 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 58 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
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 Torrance’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Torrance - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 106,183 people · nearly all in Torrance
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 58 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
California Water Service Co. - Dominguez
California · serves 149,490 people · about 33,000 in Torrance
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 64.7 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 48 to 1250 mg/L (2.8 to 73.1 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Los Angeles - City, Dept. of Water & Power
California · serves 3.9 million people · about 14,000 in Torrance
4 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 100 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard to very hard depending on the source, 94 to 544 mg/L (5.5 to 31.8 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
California Water Service Co. - Herm/Redo
California · serves 100,072 people · about 11,500 in Torrance
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 62.5 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 415 mg/L (24.3 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 Torrance - City, Water Dept.’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 Torrance
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Torrance, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
EMAX Laboratories, Inc.
Torrance, CA · about 2 miles
Certified for nitrate, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
JK BioScience Inc.
Rancho Dominguez, CA · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria, lead and copper, metals
SGS Forensic Laboratories
Carson, CA · about 8 miles
Certified for metals
Which ZIP codes are in Torrance: 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 Torrance
Other towns in Los Angeles County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Torrance - City, Water Dept.’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