Short answer: In the records we hold for Modesto, two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, each had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029). Also worth knowing: lithium sits above a screening level, and the water is very hard. 10 substances were detected and 22 were tested and not detected. The water is from City of Modesto, serving 218,915 residents.
5 water systems report serving Modesto. This report uses the largest, MODESTO, CITY OF. Your water bill names your actual supplier. Source: EPA SDWIS 2026Q2.
Plumbing inside the building is outside this record.
At a glance
Modesto water in four numbers
43/100 · PoorConfidence: moderatePurity ScoreMODESTO, CITY OF · PWSID CA5010010
10Detected4 above a reference
4Above a referenceof 32 records
0Health-based violationslast 10 years · EPA SDWIS
Two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, each had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029); lithium sits above a screening level, and the water is very hard.
What we found
10 detected results, by distance from their limit
Each bar runs to the named reference; the tick marks it. Open a row for five layers: measured, compared, meaning, where it matters, what to do.
PFOSPerfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)26ng/L▾
① · Measured
26 ng/L, sampled 2023-11-16 to 2024-09-12. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 26 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
PFOAPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Above EPA's 2024 limit (one sample) · Federal MCL4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024)8.6ng/L▾
① · Measured
8.6 ng/L, sampled 2023-11-16 to 2024-09-12. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. EPA health goal (MCLG): 0.
③ · Meaning
One EPA sample measured 8.6 ng/L, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 (PFOA/PFOS)).
PFHxSPerfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Within reference · Federal MCL10 ng/L federal MCL (2024)9.3ng/L▾
① · Measured
9.3 ng/L, sampled 2023-11-16 to 2024-09-12. EPA UCMR 5.
② · Compared
10 ng/L federal MCL (2024): a legal limit. That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
③ · Meaning
Detected at up to 9.3 ng/L (below the 10 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it.
④ · Where it matters
Comes with the source water; home plumbing does not add it.
⑤ · What to do
Test your own tap first. To reduce it: Reverse osmosis, or carbon certified for PFAS (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with PFHxS named on the listing).
MODESTO, CITY OF (EPA PWSID CA5010010) delivers surface water to 218,915 residents. This report reflects 29 individual PFAS result(s) from the source UCMR5 observations and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. The utility's 2025 CCR reports very hard water.
Track record
0health-based violations in the last 10 years
From EPA SDWIS. A clean violation history means no enforcement action was recorded; it does not cover contaminants without a limit.
Not in this recordDisinfection by-products weren't monitored in this dataset
No result is not a pass. Your utility's annual water quality report may list them, and a certified lab test covers your own tap.
Your household
Your tap can differ from the city record
The record describes water leaving treatment and samples across the system. Pipes, solder and fixtures inside a building can add lead the record can’t see, especially in older buildings with lead service lines.
Affiliate linksPurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure
★ Best choice: Aquasana Claryum 2-Stage Under-Sink Filter (AQ-5200), certified for PFOA, PFOS and lead.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RCC7AK Alkaline Reverse Osmosis SystemiSpring · It treats only the water from its own faucet and sends part of the water to the drain; the NSF listing for the plain RCC7AK covers dissolved solids, not lead or PFAS.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisiSpring RO5004F Tankless Reverse Osmosis System with UViSpring · Its PFAS and lead reduction claims are iSpring's own, with no third-party certification named for this model, and it treats only the water at its own faucet.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
Reverse osmosisWaterdrop X12 Reverse Osmosis SystemWaterdrop · Its IAPMO NSF/ANSI 58 certification covers TDS reduction only, so its PFAS and lead claims rest on Waterdrop's own SGS lab testing.
Whole-houseiSpring WGB32B-PFKS PFAS & Heavy Metals Whole House FilteriSpring · It does not reduce total dissolved solids or soften hard water, and its PFAS result comes from SGS lab testing rather than an NSF/ANSI certification.Use code REFISPRING at checkout: 10% off your first iSpring order.
PurityMap earns a commission from these links. "Best choice" and "Budget pick" go to certified products first; commission never decides them. As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Ask your utility first
Find out if your building has a lead service line
Water utilities keep an inventory of service-line materials. Ask City of Modesto whether your address is on it before you replace pipes.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Modesto’s record shows lead at 12 µg/L (15 µg/L federal action level). Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
7 of 29 PFAS tested were detected in Modesto’s record (PFOS 26 ng/L, PFOA 8.6 ng/L and PFHxS 9.3 ng/L, and more); 2 above their limit. If PFAS matters to you, a filter certification names each compound it covers.
Look forNSF/ANSI 53 or 58, with each compound you care about named on the listing
Your path: My water tastes of chlorineThe disinfectant is not in this record
Most utilities keep chlorine or chloramine in the pipes. A carbon filter certified for taste and odor reduces either; your utility can tell you which it uses.
PurityMap does not give a safe/unsafe verdict; it shows what the public records measured. For Modesto, PFOS 26 ng/L and PFOA 8.6 ng/L were measured in one EPA sample each, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 (not a violation: the limits are judged on a yearly average, due 2029); the lead 90th-percentile result was 12 µg/L against the 15 µg/L action level. MODESTO, CITY OF (PWSID CA5010010) has a Purity Score of 43/100 (confidence: moderate), assessed at the water-system level and computed only from contaminants that were measured. Water can change in your own pipes, so a certified test is the only way to know what comes out of your tap. What we found →
Who provides tap water in Modesto?+
MODESTO, CITY OF (PWS ID CA5010010) is the public water system on record for Modesto, California, serving about 218,915 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Modesto get its drinking water?+
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Modesto's water?+
Yes. In EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2023-11-16 to 2024-09-12), PFOS was measured at 26 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024 and PFOA was measured at 8.6 ng/L in one EPA sample, above the 4 ng/L limit EPA set in 2024. EPA's 2024 limits are judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet them, so a single sample is not a violation. PFBS (4.3 ng/L, below the 2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory), PFHxA (6.1 ng/L, below the 400,000 ng/L state limit) and PFHxS (9.3 ng/L, below the 10 ng/L federal limit) were also detected. PFHpA (3.6 ng/L) and PFPeA (6.7 ng/L) were also detected; they have no federal or state limit. Reverse osmosis and filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA/PFOS reduce them at the tap. What we found →
Is there lead in Modesto's tap water?+
MODESTO, CITY OF's most recent lead 90th-percentile result (2025–2027) was 12 µg/L, below the 15 µg/L action level. That figure comes from sampled homes; lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink. Your household →
What does the latest Modesto water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Modesto holds 32 findings: 4 above a reference, 4 detected within the reference, 2 detected with no limit and 22 not detected. Each finding links to its dated public record; a parameter that was never monitored is shown as pending, not as a pass. Records →
Is Modesto's water hard?+
Modesto's water is recorded as 11.6 gpg, very hard. Hardness is an aesthetic and plumbing characteristic, not a health-based limit. Choose your situation →
EPA SDWIS, EPA UCMR 5 and utility reports, each dated and linked.
02Normalize
Units converted to one basis; a non-detect kept distinct from zero.
03Classify
Each result tagged by reference type: MCL, action level, screening level or aesthetic.
04Compare to the named reference
Every value sits against its own reference, never a blended one.
05Score
Measured subjects summarised at the water-system level; an open health-based violation caps the score.
06Match treatment
Treatment is matched to what was found; a product is called certified only when its current certification names it.
What the Purity Score means: a summary of this water system’s published record, capped while a health-based violation is open. It is not a test of any tap. MODESTO, CITY OF · PWSID CA5010010 · Purity Score 43/100 (Poor) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at City of Modesto: 12 µg/L (90th percentile, 2025–2027 monitoring period (still open)). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Modesto
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.