Is Turlock, CA tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Turlock · serves 72,888 people (19,808 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID CA5010019
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Stanislaus Regional Water Authority. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 10 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Below action level0.97 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 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2017. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2017. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Nitrate is most harmful to babies under 6 months, and boiling concentrates it. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for nitrate for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- 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 City of Turlock's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (209) 668-5457. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 5 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Jun 2023. "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 Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 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 10 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0.97 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 0.97 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2012 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2009 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2006 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Jan 2017 | A Nitrate sample was above the legal limit. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Nitrate · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · measured 11.6 mg/l (limit 10 mg/L) 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 | 1.05 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 6.1 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 57 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.66 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 8.5 ppb | – |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) | 0.074 ppb | 0.0004 ppb |
Where it serves
Turlock
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 95380, 95381, 95382
Nearby utilities
- City of Ceres Ceres · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Modesto Modesto · 12 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Atwater Atwater · 18 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Ripon Ripon · 22 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Merced Merced · 25 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Manteca Manteca · 28 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Turlock tap water safe to drink?
Most of Turlock gets its water from City of Turlock. City of Turlock 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 Turlock water have PFAS?
EPA tested City of Turlock for 29 PFAS between Jan 2023 and Jun 2023 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Turlock water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Turlock is 0.97 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (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 CA5010019: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID CA5010019).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask City of Turlock at (209) 668-5457, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
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.