Is Sacramento, CA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Sacramento Main · serves 527,979 people (145,625 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID CA3410020
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Sacramento gets its water from City of Sacramento Main. Parts of the city are served by 3 smaller systems: California American Water – Fruitridge Vista (16,075 people), California American Water – Arden (4,178 people), California State Fair Water System (80 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Sacramento Suburban Water District, SCWA Mather-Sunrise, California American Water – Fruitridge Vista, California American Water – Arden, California American Water – Suburban Rosemont, California American Water – Parkway, SCWA – Laguna/Vineyard, SCWA – Arden Park Vista. 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 16.4 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 38.9 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFHxS 18.8 ppt vs a limit of 10 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 25.4 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- 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 2023. 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 Sacramento Main's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (916) 808-6096.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 13 entry points tested Aug 2023 to May 2024. "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 | 16.4 ppt 4.11× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 38.9 ppt 9.71× the limit |
| PFHxS Above limit Limit 10 ppt | 18.8 ppt 1.88× 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) Above limit Limit 1 | 1.88 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 6.15 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 7.2 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 6 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 6.45 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 4.25 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: CapRadio reported in August 2026 that the city deactivated wells identified as PFAS-contaminated in 2024 and is using a 3M settlement to site and drill new wells. The utilities director said PFAS were not detected in 2025 report testing.
Source: What happened after Sacramento sued over forever chemicals found in groundwater (news report), 2026-08-26. 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 99% of the California systems EPA tested, the PFOS average is higher than at 99% of the California systems EPA tested and the PFHxS average is higher than at 98% of the California systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 8 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 2 of 28 samples. Highest result 25.4 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above 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: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 7.4 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 7.4 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2004 – Dec 2004 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 1999 | 5 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Sacramento Main's inventory lists 0 lead, 0 galvanized lines that need replacing, 0 of unknown material out of 146,067 service lines (as of 2026-08-01). As published by the utility.
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 | 21 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 8 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.43 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.19 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 41 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 61 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Sacramento
28 ZIP codes the system reported serving
95652, 95660, 95673, 95758, 95811, 95814, 95815, 95816, 95817, 95818, 95819, 95820, 95821, 95822, 95823, 95824, 95825, 95826, 95828, 95829, 95831, 95832, 95833, 95834, 95835, 95838, 95841, 95864
Nearby utilities
- California American Water – Arden Sacramento · same area · PFAS above limit
- California State Fair Water System Sacramento · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of West Sacramento West Sacramento · 4 mi
- Sacramento Suburban Water District Arden-Arcade · 5 mi
- SCWA – Arden Park Vista Arden-Arcade · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- Florin County Water District Florin · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Sacramento tap water safe to drink?
Most of Sacramento gets its water from City of Sacramento Main. City of Sacramento Main 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 Sacramento water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Sacramento Main found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS and PFHxS: PFOA 16.4 ppt, PFOS 38.9 ppt, PFHxS 18.8 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Sacramento water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Sacramento Main is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. 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 CA3410020: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CA3410020).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Sacramento Main'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: (916) 808-6096.
- City of Sacramento Main 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.