Is Santa Cruz Water Department Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Santa Cruz

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	2000-05-01 → 2000-05-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2000-05-01 → 2000-05-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1996-02-01 → 1996-02-29
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1996-02-01 → 1996-02-29
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1995-10-01 → 1995-10-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1995-10-01 → 1995-10-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1993-07-01 → 1993-07-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1993-07-01 → 1993-07-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1993-07-01 → 1993-07-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2016-04-01 → 2016-04-30

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
TTHM	71.35 µg/L 89% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 89 µg/L	474/486	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	23 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 27 µg/L	469/486	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	13 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 19 µg/L	468/486	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	42 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 62 µg/L	463/486	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	38.7 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 58 µg/L	447/459	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	57.75 µg/L 96% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 83 µg/L	446/458	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	19 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 33 µg/L	444/459	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.755 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.1 µg/L	290/459	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	487.5 µg/L 12% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 640 µg/L	186/241	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	3.96 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 6.7 µg/L	145/486	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	990 µg/L 9.9% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1500 µg/L	86/562	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	3.57 µg/L 36% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 4 µg/L	47/107	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	43/43	LCR	2024
Nitrate-Nitrite	1400 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 440000 µg/L	26/141	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.95 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.3 µg/L	11/459	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	126 µg/L 6.3% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 130 µg/L	5/107	SYR4	2012–2019
Tetrachloroethylene	0.6785 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 5 µg/L worst single sample: 0.6800 µg/L	4/132	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	54 µg/L No EPA limit set	4/8	UCMR-5	2024
Xylenes, Total	1.173 µg/L 0% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1.2 µg/L	2/130	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	54 µg/L 4.2% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L	1/108	SYR4	2012–2019

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-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromateChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChloriteChromiumCombined UraniumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateGross Beta Particle ActivityHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoLeadMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl Chloridecis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: LUCKENBACH, HEIDI
Phone: 831-420-5214
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Santa Cruz Water Department

Is Santa Cruz Water Department tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 20 contaminants in Santa Cruz Water Department'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 Santa Cruz Water Department's water?

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

How many people does Santa Cruz Water Department serve?

Santa Cruz Water Department reports serving 94,626 people in California, per its EPA record.

Has Santa Cruz Water Department had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 11 violations on file for Santa Cruz Water Department, of which 9 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.