Is City of Fountain Valley Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: SWP
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Orange

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-03-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-09-01 → 2014-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-09-01 → 2014-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-02-01 → 2014-02-28
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2014-02-01 → 2014-02-28

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFHXS	0.0035 µg/L	1/16	2025

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
TTHM	51.4 µg/L 64% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 55.5 µg/L	222/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	9.4 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 19.2 µg/L	221/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	17.685 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 20.9 µg/L	162/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	20.035 µg/L 33% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 21.3 µg/L	152/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	2220.81 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 2460 µg/L	148/150	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	5.89 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.9 µg/L	143/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	16.365 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 17.6 µg/L	128/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	16.425 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18.6 µg/L	126/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	8.825 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10.2 µg/L	116/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	6.16 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.7 µg/L	89/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	750 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 960 µg/L	68/68	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	770000 µg/L 7700% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 940000 µg/L	53/54	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Uranium	13.8689 µg/L 46% of the EPA limit 30 µg/L worst single sample: 15.049 µg/L	32/32	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0060 mg/L 40% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	19/19	LCR	2024
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.8303 pCi/L 17% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L worst single sample: 1.251 pCi/L	15/16	SYR4	2012–2013
Gross Beta Particle Activity	4.002 pCi/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.62 pCi/L	13/14	SYR4	2012–2013
Copper	159.4 µg/L 12% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 162 µg/L	5/62	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	2.49 µg/L 25% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 2.5 µg/L	3/52	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	36.1233 µg/L No EPA limit set	3/16	UCMR-5	2025
Barium	104.8 µg/L 5.2% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 105 µg/L	2/50	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.5 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/256	SYR4	2012–2019

88 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoLeadMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: SPRAGUE, MARK
Phone: 714-593-4609
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about City of Fountain Valley

Is City of Fountain Valley tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 22 contaminants in City of Fountain Valley's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in City of Fountain Valley's water?

EPA monitoring detected TTHM, Bromoform, Dibromochloromethane, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), Nitrate, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does City of Fountain Valley serve?

City of Fountain Valley reports serving 56,747 people in California, per its EPA record.

Has City of Fountain Valley had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 8 violations on file for City of Fountain Valley, of which 0 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.