Is Tulare, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 6 utilities serving Tulare have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records: Woodville Public Utility Dist and Okieville Highland Acres MWC.
City of Tulare, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 6.5 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from City of Tulare is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 3.6 to 63 mg/L (0.2 to 3.7 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 Tulare’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
City of Tulare
California · serves 72,241 people · about 6,200 in Tulare
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 6.5 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 3.6 to 63 mg/L (0.2 to 3.7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Woodville Public Utility Dist
California · serves 1,740 people · about 140 in Tulare
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 40 ppm, above the legal limit. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 155 to 190 mg/L (9.1 to 11.1 grains per gallon).
13 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Cws - Tulco Water Company
California · serves 716 people · under 100 in Tulare
4 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 18 ppm, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard to hard depending on the source, 82 to 180 mg/L (4.8 to 10.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Okieville Highland Acres MWC
California · serves 300 people · under 100 in Tulare
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 6.9 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, 13 mg/L (0.8 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Ali Mutual Water Co
California · serves 39 people · under 100 in Tulare
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 3.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, 90 mg/L (5.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Madson Gardens Apartments
California · serves 162 people · based in Tulare
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
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 City of Tulare’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 Tulare
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Tulare, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Sierra Dairy Laboratory
Tulare, CA · about 3 miles
Certified for bacteria
Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
Visalia, CA · about 11 miles
Certified for bacteria
BSK Associates
Fresno, CA · about 43 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity
ZIP codes in Tulare
Which ZIP codes are in Tulare: 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 Tulare
Other towns in Tulare County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read City of Tulare’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water