Is Sweetwater Authority Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: San Diego

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
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-08-01 → 2010-08-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-08-01 → 2010-08-31

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfba	0.0123 µg/L	4/9	2025
PFBS	0.0110 µg/L	4/9	2025
Pfhpa	0.0047 µg/L	4/9	2025
Pfhxa	0.0086 µg/L	4/9	2025
PFHXS	0.0094 µg/L	4/9	2025
PFOA	0.0114 µg/L	4/9	2025
Pfpea	0.0076 µg/L	4/9	2025
PFOS	0.0057 µg/L	3/9	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	45.71 µg/L 57% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 64 µg/L	610/635	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	9.75 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15 µg/L	606/635	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	17.39 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 24.3 µg/L	602/635	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	14.165 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 21 µg/L	590/635	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	14.1 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 19.7 µg/L	584/635	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	32.1 µg/L 54% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 40 µg/L	300/310	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	11 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 13 µg/L	294/310	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	15 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 22 µg/L	289/310	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	4.3 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7.5 µg/L	259/310	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	651.3 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 830 µg/L	258/280	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	6 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 7.9 µg/L	117/310	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	2.87 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.4 µg/L	114/310	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	180 µg/L 9% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 210 µg/L	79/277	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	3.87 µg/L 39% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 4.6 µg/L	44/277	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	30/30	LCR	2023
Gross Beta Particle Activity	15.25 pCi/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 17 pCi/L	26/27	SYR4	2012–2018
Selenium	14.85 µg/L 30% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L worst single sample: 18 µg/L	24/277	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Uranium	12.3521 µg/L 41% of the EPA limit 30 µg/L worst single sample: 13.0375 µg/L	22/38	SYR4	2013–2019
Nitrate	500 µg/L 5% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	12/560	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	500 µg/L 5% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	6/257	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	28 µg/L No EPA limit set	4/9	UCMR-5	2025
Copper	85.7 µg/L 6.6% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 86 µg/L	3/300	SYR4	2012–2019

82 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,3,7,8-TCDD2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoLeadMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpsPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: QUINTERO, CARLOS
Phone: 619-409-6701
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Sweetwater Authority

Is Sweetwater Authority tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 30 contaminants in Sweetwater Authority'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 Sweetwater Authority's water?

EPA monitoring detected TTHM, Bromoform, Dibromochloromethane, Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Sweetwater Authority serve?

Sweetwater Authority reports serving 191,282 people in California, per its EPA record.

Has Sweetwater Authority had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 2 violations on file for Sweetwater Authority, of which 2 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.