San Jose Water water quality
San Jose, CA · serves 1 million people (232,926 connections) · Surface water · Private · EPA ID CA4310011
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Santa Clara Valley Water District, City of Cupertino. 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 ending Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jun 2023.
- 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.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read San Jose Water's water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (408) 918-7254.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 19 entry points tested Feb 2023 to Feb 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 3.1 ppt 77% of the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 4.3 ppt 43% 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 | 0.43 |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 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
Detected in 5 of 41 samples. Highest result 10 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: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4.5 ppb (Dec 2016).
| 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 2014 – Dec 2016 | 4.5 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 2.5 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 6 ppb |
Lead service lines: San Jose Water's inventory lists 0 lead, 0 galvanized lines that need replacing, 0 of unknown material out of 236,341 service lines (as of 2026-03). 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jun 2023 | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Surface Water Treatment 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 | 22 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 5.1 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.71 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 5.7 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 2.7 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chlorate | 540 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.22 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
38 ZIP codes the system reported serving
94022, 94024, 95008, 95014, 95030, 95032, 95033, 95050, 95051, 95070, 95101, 95110, 95111, 95112, 95113, 95116, 95117, 95118, 95119, 95120, 95121, 95122, 95123, 95124, 95125, 95126, 95127, 95128, 95129, 95130, 95131, 95132, 95133, 95134, 95136, 95138, 95140, 95148
Nearby utilities
- City of San Jose – Evergreen/Edenvale/Coyote San Jose · same area
- Great Oaks Water Company Inc San Jose · same area
- City of Santa Clara Santa Clara · 10 mi
- City of Milpitas Milpitas · 10 mi
- City of Sunnyvale Sunnyvale · 13 mi
- Alameda County Water District Fremont · 15 mi
Questions
Is San Jose Water water safe to drink?
San Jose Water had 1 health-based violation 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 Jose Water water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of San Jose Water found 2 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in San Jose Water water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for San Jose Water 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 CA4310011: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CA4310011).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- San Jose Water's 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) 918-7254.
- San Jose Water 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.