Western MWD (ID A - Rainbow)
What EPA’s and California’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 196 people
- Connections
- 41
- Water source
- Surface water bought from another system
- Based in
- Riverside, CA
- County
- Riverside
- Owner
- Local government
The short answer
Nothing in EPA’s and California’s records for this utility is above a health goal. That covers nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals, plus lead and copper, not everything. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What was found
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5) and fluoride: California’s own results, samples taken from Feb. 4, 2020 to May 4, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Below EPA’s limits3
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
47.5ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 47.5 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. Its highest single sample was 84 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. EPA recorded no violation for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at this utility since 2020. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 23.5 ppb, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
13.4ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
Averaged by year, the highest was 13.4 ppb, in 2026, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. Its highest single sample was 23 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 11.2 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.66ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2021
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.66 ppm, in 2021, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. That was also the latest year on file.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
One compound tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Lead
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5) and fluoride results here are California’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Western MWD (ID A - Rainbow)’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; California’s results run from Feb. 4, 2020 to May 4, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs California certifies closest to the area Western MWD (ID A - Rainbow) serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Applied Industrial Microbiology, Inc.
Vista, CA · about 22 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Alpha Analytical Laboratories, Inc. - San Diego
Vista, CA · about 23 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Sierra Analytical Labs, Inc.
Laguna Hills, CA · about 33 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, results from Jan. 1, 2020 to July 17, 2026, read Oct. 8, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: California State Water Resources Control Board, ELAP accredited laboratories and their fields of accreditation, read Oct. 17, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID CA3310076. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Nothing here is above a health goalIn EPA’s and California’s records for this utility. They don’t cover everything, which is why the next step matters.Every contaminant TapBuff tracks
- Get the utility’s own reportWestern MWD (ID A - Rainbow) must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded