San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte water quality
El Monte, CA · serves 240,000 people (46,785 connections) · Groundwater · Private · EPA ID CA1910039
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Suburban Water Systems-San Jose, City of Whittier Water Dept., City of Pico Rivera Water Dept., Valley County Water District, City of Santa Fe Springs Water Dept., City of Arcadia, San Gabriel Valley Water Company – Montebello 2. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit2 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- 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 Jan 2024 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jun 2019.
- 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 San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte's 2026 water quality report (PDF) (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (626) 448-6183.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 9 entry points tested Feb 2025 to Aug 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 Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 5 ppt |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 2.8 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 2 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 18 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 1.4 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 0.47 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2002 | 5 ppb |
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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Sep 2018 – Jun 2019 2 times | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Groundwater Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (limit ) Resolved |
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 | 2.8 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.63 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Vanadium | 9.3 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 5.6 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 460 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.66 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Cobalt | 1.3 ppb | 70 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 19 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
El Monte, San Gabriel, West Covina, Whittier, Industry, Hacienda Heights, Arcadia, Santa Fe Springs, Irwindale, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Monterey Park, Rosemead, Temple City, La Puente, South El Monte, West Whittier-Los Nietos
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 90053, 90601, 90606, 90609, 90640, 90660, 90670, 91006, 91706, 91731, 91732, 91733, 91734, 91744, 91745, 91746, 91755, 91770, 91776, 91780, 91790
Nearby utilities
- City of Arcadia Arcadia · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Golden State Water Company – South Arcadia Arcadia · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Valley County Water District Irwindale · 5 mi
- City of Alhambra Alhambra · 6 mi
- California Water Service – East Los Angeles Montebello · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Commerce Water Dept. Montebello · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte water safe to drink?
San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte had 2 health-based violations since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. 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 San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte found 2 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte is 0 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2024 (still in progress). 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 CA1910039: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CA1910039).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte's 2026 water quality report (PDF): the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (626) 448-6183.
- San Gabriel Valley Water Company – El Monte 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.