California Water Service – Bakersfield water quality
Bakersfield, CA · serves 268,129 people (65,279 connections) · Surface water · Private · EPA ID CA1510003
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Kern County Water Agency. 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 above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 4.55 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 13.5 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level2.8 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 2024. 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 California Water Service – Bakersfield's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (408) 367-8593.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 47 entry points tested Jul 2023 to Apr 2026. "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 | 4.55 ppt 1.14× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 13.5 ppt 3.38× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 6.65 ppt 66% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.67 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.85 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.3 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.35 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.75 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: Cal Water said in November 2024 that crews were installing granular activated carbon treatment on a Bakersfield well to meet the state PFAS limit, with construction scheduled for completion in February 2025.
Source: Cal Water news release: PFAS treatment construction in Bakersfield, 2024-11-27. 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 87% of the California systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 92% of the California systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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
Detected in 22 of 98 samples. Highest result 14.6 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Below screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2.8 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 2.8 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 5.3 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 5 ppb |
Lead service lines: California Water Service – Bakersfield's inventory lists 0 lead, 0 galvanized lines that need replacing, 52,060 of unknown material out of 67,456 service lines (as of 2026-04-21). Counted by us from the utility's or state's published line-by-line inventory data.
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 | 12 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.38 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 9.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chlorate | 2,200 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 2.7 ppb | – |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) | 0.16 ppb | 0.0004 ppb |
| Vanadium | 16 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.74 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Bakersfield, Rosedale
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 93301, 93304, 93305, 93306, 93307, 93308, 93309, 93311, 93313, 93314, 93518
Nearby utilities
- City of Bakersfield Bakersfield · same area · PFAS above limit
- California Water Service – North Garden Rosedale · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Delano Delano · 31 mi
- City of Porterville Porterville · 49 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Lindsay Lindsay · 59 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Tulare Tulare · 61 mi
Questions
Is California Water Service – Bakersfield water safe to drink?
California Water Service – Bakersfield 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 California Water Service – Bakersfield water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of California Water Service – Bakersfield found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 4.55 ppt, PFOS 13.5 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in California Water Service – Bakersfield water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for California Water Service – Bakersfield is 2.8 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 CA1510003: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CA1510003).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- California Water Service – Bakersfield'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: (408) 367-8593.
- California Water Service – Bakersfield 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.