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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Santa Cruz County Water Quality: 3 Cities Ranked by the Records

Santa Cruz County, California: 3 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the mapPrivate wells in Santa Cruz County
Across the county's systems

Highest result for each contaminant

One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.

LithiumDetected in 3 systems10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest69.5 µg/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest6.5 ng/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest5.1 ng/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest6.7 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest1.2 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 1 system of 3 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest6.3 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest4.5 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 2 systems of 3 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6.5 ng/L
23 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 3 systems: SANTA CRUZ WATER DEPARTMENT, SCOTTS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT, WATSONVILLE, CITY OF

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
  • 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
  • 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
  • Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
  • N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
  • N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
  • Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
  • Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
  • Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
  • Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
  • Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
3 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 3 of 3 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.

PFAS in Santa Cruz County1 of 3 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Watsonville5.1 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in California
Lead

0of 3 cities above the 15 µg/L action level

Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.

Lead in California
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. Santa CruzSANTA CRUZ WATER DEPARTMENT · CA4410010
    94,626 served
  2. WatsonvilleWATSONVILLE, CITY OF · CA4410011
    65,231 served
  3. Scotts ValleySCOTTS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT · CA4410013
    11,197 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Santa Cruz County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 3 cities in Santa Cruz County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Santa Cruz's main water system: SANTA CRUZ WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID CA4410010 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Santa Cruz County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

1 of 3 Santa Cruz County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Watsonville (PFOA 6.5 ng/L). 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. PFAS were detected at any level in 2.

Is there lead in Santa Cruz County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 2 of 3 Santa Cruz County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

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