El Cajon, CA: 2 Violations - Home Safety 92/100
4 ZIP codes · 4 water systems · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for El Cajon: A.
No federal data flags a major home-safety concern for this ZIP.
Based on current monitoring, El Cajon holds an above-average drinking water safety record for CA - violations are infrequent and typically minor when they do appear.
How El Cajon Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
What You Should Know About El Cajon Water
- Your city's water systems recorded 2 violations in the past 5 years.
- Average lead level: 0.0011 mg/L.
- Homes built before 1986: 73% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $1,700 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 10.18.
Who Supplies Your Water in El Cajon
Residential addresses in El Cajon, CA are served by 3 primary water providers out of 4 systems in federal records. Each system maintains separate infrastructure and files its own EPA compliance reports, so service conditions are not uniform across the city.
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Overview
We track home safety data for 4 ZIP codes in El Cajon, California (population ~173,597), covering 4 community water systems serving approximately 645,156 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 3 of 4 ZIP codes.
1 of 3 ZIP codes with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (33%) have recorded EPA violations. The available record reports no health-based violations for this measured scope.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for El Cajon: A (92/100)
Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:
| Factor | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Water Quality | EPA violations and compliance history |
| PFAS MCL Screen | UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs |
| Radon Risk | EPA radon zone classification |
| Annual AQI | EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days |
Water Sources
El Cajon water systems draw from: Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0011 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
- 0 of 3 ZIP codes with known status exceed the EPA lead action level
Radon Risk
Dominant radon zone: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
- Zone 1 (High): 0 ZIP codes
- Zone 2 (Moderate): 0 ZIP codes
- Zone 3 (Low): 4 ZIP codes
Top Contaminants
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | ZIPs Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Disinfection Byproducts | 2 | 1 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | Disinfection Byproducts | 2 | 1 |
Areas with Most Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | Violations | Health-Based | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92021 | A | 2 | 0 | Helix Water District |
Areas with No Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | System | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92019 | A | Helix Water District | 277,668 |
| 92020 | A | Helix Water District | 277,668 |
All ZIP Codes in El Cajon
Data Sources
- Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
- Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
- Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.
Health Outcomes in El Cajon
Source: CDC PLACES (County-level estimates). Water contamination can correlate with respiratory and chronic health conditions.
Compared to National Average
Vertical line = national average. ■ Above national · ■ Below national
Top Contaminants in El Cajon Water
Based on EPA violation records. Check your ZIP code report for system-specific contaminant data.
Housing & Infrastructure in El Cajon
With 73% of homes built before 1986, lead solder in plumbing is a potential concern. The EPA banned lead solder in 1986, but many older homes retain original plumbing.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).
Housing Age Profile
For residents trying to assess tap water risk in El Cajon, the median build year of 1979 is the starting context. It signals that a majority of homes were constructed before 1986 - the year federal rules prohibited lead solder in new plumbing - and that a significant share likely predates 1970, when lead pipes were still a common choice for residential service connections. Neither risk tier is rare in this housing inventory.
Over half of homes in El Cajon were built before 1986, when lead solder was banned. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.
Cost Context: What Remediation Means for El Cajon Homeowners
Setting El Cajon remediation figures against its property market, the resulting ratio sits comfortably in the low tier - a classification that reflects the kind of household financial position where most homeowners can identify documented issues, schedule the work, and absorb the cost without it registering as a significant budget disruption.
Remediation costs in El Cajon are relatively low compared to home values. The $1,100–$2,600 estimated range is a small fraction of median property value. Home values are 2% below the California average.
Lead Exposure Risk for Children in El Cajon
Why children are most at risk: The CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.
Before the federal solder ban, lead solder was a routine plumbing material, and 73% of the El Cajon inventory was built in that earlier era - a share large enough to move household-level reads onto the standard list.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Historical NFIP Claim Context in El Cajon
Historical NFIP data for El Cajon contains 88 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $20,048. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 33% have an A- or V-family dominant rated zone recorded in those historical claims. This is not a complete current FEMA property-map inventory.
How flooding affects water quality: Flood events can introduce sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial chemicals into water supplies. Even after floodwaters recede, contamination can persist in wells and aging infrastructure. The <strong>$1,700</strong> remediation estimate shown here excludes flood insurance and is not derived from NFIP claim count.
Claim count does not establish current property risk. Check the exact address in FEMA's current map and obtain a property-specific insurance quote when relevant.
Source: historical FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim records. No current FEMA property-map designation is asserted.
Deep Dive Reports
Detailed analysis for El Cajon, CA