Is City of Santa Clara Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: SWP
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Santa Clara

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
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1995-03-01 → 1995-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1995-03-01 → 1995-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1992-03-01 → 1992-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1992-03-01 → 1992-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1992-03-01 → 1992-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1992-03-01 → 1992-03-31
Other	Monitoring	Archived	1988-06-01 → 1988-06-30

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
Nitrate	5600 µg/L 56% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 6554 µg/L	448/460	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	71 µg/L 89% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 89 µg/L	204/254	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	51.95 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 64 µg/L	202/254	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	45 µg/L 75% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 56 µg/L	200/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	25 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 33 µg/L	197/250	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	22 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 28 µg/L	191/256	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	18 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 24 µg/L	186/254	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	32 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 38 µg/L	114/254	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	24 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 31 µg/L	98/254	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	12 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 18 µg/L	92/250	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	178 µg/L 4.5% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 190 µg/L	65/66	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	168 µg/L 8.4% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 210 µg/L	45/66	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	6080 µg/L 61% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1000000 µg/L	42/44	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0027 mg/L 18% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	31/31	LCR	2025
Monobromoacetic Acid	1.715 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.8 µg/L	18/250	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	2.2 µg/L No EPA limit set	5/250	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	4.68 µg/L 47% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 4.8 µg/L	4/66	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	11 µg/L No EPA limit set	3/42	UCMR-5	2025

93 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, TotalChlorobenzeneCopperCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoLeadMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: RAMIREZ, JOHN
Phone: 408-615-2018
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about City of Santa Clara

Is City of Santa Clara tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 18 contaminants in City of Santa Clara'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 Santa Clara's water?

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

How many people does City of Santa Clara serve?

City of Santa Clara reports serving 130,746 people in California, per its EPA record.

Has City of Santa Clara had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 7 violations on file for City of Santa Clara, of which 6 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.