Is Fresno, CA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Fresno · serves 545,970 people (145,072 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID CA1010007
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Fresno gets its water from City of Fresno. Parts of the city are served by 3 smaller systems: Bakman Water Company (17,393 people), Pinedale County Water District (16,736 people), California State University Fresno Water System (1,500 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from City of Clovis. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, the PFAS Hazard Index above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 13.5 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 21.5 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFHxS 29 ppt vs a limit of 10 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level0 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Fresno's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (559) 621-8612.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 174 entry points tested Mar 2023 to Dec 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 13.5 ppt 3.38× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 21.5 ppt 5.37× the limit |
| PFHxS Above limit Limit 10 ppt | 29 ppt 2.9× the limit |
| PFNA Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 7.95 ppt 80% of the limit |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Above limit Limit 1 | 3.12 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 6.25 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 25.5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 24 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 35.5 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 24.5 ppt |
| PFPeS Detected, no limit | 5 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: In November 2025 the City of Fresno filed a state notice of exemption for a project adding granular activated carbon treatment at its existing Bakman Well 8A to remove 1,2,3-TCP and PFAS.
Source: Bakman Well 8A TCP/PFAS Treatment Project (SCH 2025110484) (government record), 2025-11-13. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 98% of the California systems EPA tested, the PFOS average is higher than at 96% of the California systems EPA tested and the PFHxS average is higher than at 99% of the California systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 10 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 340 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2018 – Jun 2018 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2017 – Dec 2017 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2006 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2006 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 15 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 15 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Fresno's inventory lists 0 lead, 0 galvanized lines that need replacing, 0 of unknown material out of 138,316 service lines (as of 2026-08-01). As published by the utility.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 86 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.51 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.25 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 13 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 1,800 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) | 0.15 ppb | 0.0004 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 7.1 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 71 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Fresno
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 93611, 93612, 93619, 93650, 93701, 93702, 93703, 93704, 93705, 93706, 93710, 93711, 93720, 93721, 93722, 93723, 93724, 93725, 93726, 93727, 93728, 93730, 93737, 93740
Nearby utilities
- California State University Fresno Water System Fresno · same area · PFAS above limit
- Pinedale County Water District Fresno · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Clovis Clovis · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Sanger Sanger · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Madera Madera · 20 mi
- City of Hanford Hanford · 32 mi
Questions
Is Fresno tap water safe to drink?
Most of Fresno gets its water from City of Fresno. City of Fresno has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Fresno water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Fresno found 10 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS and PFHxS: PFOA 13.5 ppt, PFOS 21.5 ppt, PFHxS 29 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Fresno water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Fresno is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for CA1010007: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CA1010007).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Fresno's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (559) 621-8612.
- City of Fresno website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.