Short answer: In the 2023–2025 records we hold for Santa Maria, no listed result is above a legal limit. Also worth knowing: lithium sits above a screening level. 1 substance was detected and 30 were tested and not detected. The water is from City of Santa Maria Utilities Department, serving 112,208 residents.
CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT (EPA PWSID CA4210011) delivers surface water to 112,208 residents. This report reflects 29 individual PFAS result(s) from the source UCMR5 observations and the latest Lead & Copper Rule 90th-percentile result. Water hardness and disinfectant type are pending the utility's own annual report.
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.
Each card names which Santa Maria findings its current certification covers, and which it doesn't.
As an Amazon Associate, PurityMap earns from qualifying purchases. A product appears here only when a current certification record covers at least one identified concern; every concern stays listed. The retail offer is looked up afterwards and never changes which products appear or their order. Affiliate disclosure.
Water Pitcher
Brita Elite Water Filter Pitcher
✓Lead: eligible, evidence match
–Not established: Lithium
Not suitable for (3)
Treating every tap in the home
A whole-home hard-water or scale problem
All PFAS: its evidence covers only the compounds it names
City of Santa Maria Utilities Department reported 60 galvanized service lines to replace in EPA’s inventory (2026Q2). Many utilities replace these lines for free or share the cost. Ask City of Santa Maria Utilities Department whether your home’s line is on its list before you pay anyone.
Your path: I live in an older buildingLead from plumbing is the main question
Older buildings may have lead service lines, solder or fixtures. Santa Maria’s utility reported 60 galvanized service lines in EPA’s inventory. Test first-draw water, then filter if needed.
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 Santa Maria, no regulated PFAS were detected in EPA's 2024 testing. CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT (PWSID CA4210011) has a Purity Score of 100/100 (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 Santa Maria?+
CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT (PWS ID CA4210011) is the public water system on record for Santa Maria, California, serving about 112,208 people. Confirm the utility on your water bill before acting on a specific finding. Water utility →
Where does Santa Maria get its drinking water?+
Surface water (primary source of record in EPA SDWIS). Water utility →
Are PFAS "forever chemicals" in Santa Maria's water?+
None of the 29 PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing (2025-03-18 to 2025-10-20) was detected. "Not detected" means below the lab's reporting limit, not proven zero. What we found →
Is there lead in Santa Maria's tap water?+
Lead is not in Santa Maria's current published record. Lead usually enters from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so a certified home test is the way to know yours. Your household →
What does the latest Santa Maria water report show?+
PurityMap's current record for Santa Maria holds 31 findings: 1 above a reference and 30 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 →
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. CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT · PWSID CA4210011 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
Lead at City of Santa Maria Utilities Department: not detected (90th percentile, 2023–2025 monitoring period). Lead has no taste, so a taste neither shows nor rules it out.
ZIP codes in Santa Maria
A ZIP code is a postal area, not a water service area. Your water bill names your supplier.