CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT Water Quality Report
Serving roughly 109,477 people in Santa Barbara County, California.
Data current as of July 2026
🔍Straight from EPA
🧪Real Lab Results
📅Updated Quarterly
🏠Local Expertise
Results for CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
1 water provider directly on file, serving roughly 109,477 people in Santa Barbara County, California.
Quick answer: CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT has no violations on file and no single reading stands out against its peers (255 other providers in this area). It serves roughly 109,477 people, and the full breakdown below reflects everything EPA and California have on record for it.
Lead Summary
Lithium
Potassium
Sodium
Hardness, Total (ASCACO3)
Magnesium
Calcium
Alkalinity, Total
Alkalinity, Bicarbonate
TDS
Chloride
Sulfate
Fluoride
Nitrate
Nitrate-Nitrite
Combined Uranium
Gross Alpha Particle Activity
pH
Boron, Total
Vanadium, Total
Iron
Chromium, Hex
Conductivity (at 25°C)
Lead
Totalhaloaceticacids (HAA5)
TTHM
Chloroform
Bromoform
Bromodichloromethane
Dibromochloromethane
Dichloroaceticacid
Trichloroaceticacid
Dibromoaceticacid
Copper, Free
Utility CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENTPopulation served 109,477Owner Local government
No violations on file
Contaminants found
Metals
Naturally occurring or corrosion-related elements, e.g. lead, arsenic, copper
Lead Summary
Detected: 0 mg/L (ppm)
12/31/2025
Combined Uranium
Detected: 2.2 PCI/L
4/1/2025
A naturally occurring radioactive metal. Long-term exposure above the legal limit is associated with kidney effects and increased cancer risk.
Vanadium, Total
Detected: 3 UG/L (ppb)
9/9/2025
Iron
Detected: 470 UG/L (ppb)
5/27/2025
Mostly an aesthetic issue (metallic taste, staining) rather than a health concern at typical levels.
Chromium, Hex
Detected: 0.8 UG/L (ppb)
1/21/2025
Lead
Detected: 5.5 UG/L (ppb)
9/9/2025
A metal that can leach from old pipes, solder, and fixtures. Current medical guidance holds there is no truly safe level of lead exposure, especially for children and pregnant women.
Copper, Free
Detected: 97 UG/L (ppb)
9/9/2025
Disinfection Byproducts
Formed when chlorine used to disinfect water reacts with organic matter
Totalhaloaceticacids (HAA5)
Detected: 7.8 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
TTHM
Detected: 18.7 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
A group of disinfection byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter. Long-term exposure above the legal limit has been linked to increased cancer risk in some studies.
Chloroform
Detected: 6.9 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
One of the individual trihalomethane disinfection byproducts, formed when chlorine reacts with organic matter.
Bromoform
Detected: 1.6 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
Bromodichloromethane
Detected: 6.4 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
Dibromochloromethane
Detected: 3.8 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
Inorganics
Common dissolved minerals and salts, e.g. nitrate, fluoride, chloride
Chloride
Detected: 43 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Sulfate
Detected: 440 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Fluoride
Detected: 0.21 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Often added deliberately for dental health; can also occur naturally.
Nitrate
Detected: 5.2 MG/L (ppm)
10/28/2025
Commonly from agricultural fertilizer runoff or septic systems. Above the legal limit, it's an immediate concern especially for infants.
Nitrate-Nitrite
Detected: 8.2 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Boron, Total
Detected: 320 UG/L (ppb)
9/9/2025
Minerals
Everyday minerals that mainly affect taste and water hardness
Potassium
Detected: 3.3 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Sodium
Detected: 67 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Magnesium
Detected: 57 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Calcium
Detected: 130 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Properties
General water characteristics like pH, hardness, and cloudiness (turbidity)
Hardness, Total (ASCACO3)
Detected: 560 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Gross Alpha Particle Activity
Detected: 4.4 PCI/L
4/1/2025
pH
Detected: 7.7 PH
9/9/2025
A measure of how acidic or basic the water is (7 is neutral). Affects taste and plumbing, not a direct health measure.
PFAS & Emerging Contaminants
Human-made "forever chemicals" and other substances not yet fully regulated
Lithium
Detected: 12.9 µg/L (ppb)
10/20/2025
Occurs naturally in some groundwater. Not currently federally regulated in drinking water.
Calculated Parameters
Values worked out mathematically from other test results, not measured directly
Alkalinity, Bicarbonate
Detected: 260 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Other
Additional substances tested that don't fit neatly into the categories above
Alkalinity, Total
Detected: 210 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
TDS
Detected: 910 MG/L (ppm)
9/9/2025
Conductivity (at 25°C)
Detected: 1300 UMHO/CM
9/9/2025
Dichloroaceticacid
Detected: 4.6 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
Trichloroaceticacid
Detected: 1.9 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
Dibromoaceticacid
Detected: 1.3 UG/L (ppb)
9/2/2025
Filtration considerations: See the table below for how whole-house carbon, under-sink reverse osmosis, and under-sink carbon systems compare against what's actually on file here. These are general system types, not a specific product recommendation.