Drilling into federal monitoring figures for Highland in CA, the pattern is middle-of-the-road - some utilities have documented MCL exceedances or treatment technique violations in recent years, while others have operated without a single flag, making the city's grade a genuine average rather than a rounded-down high.

Data: EPA SDWIS

Overview

We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Highland, California (population ~56,956), covering 5 community water systems serving approximately 124,495 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.

1 of 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (100%) have recorded EPA violations. The available record reports no health-based violations for this measured scope.

Home Safety Score

Average Home Safety Score for Highland: C (56/100)

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

Highland water systems draw from: Groundwater, Surface water.

Lead & Copper

• Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0081 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
• 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level

Radon Risk

Dominant radon zone: Zone 2 (Moderate Risk)

The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.

Top Contaminants

Areas with Most Violations

All ZIP Codes in Highland

• 92346 [C] - 6 violations

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.

Housing Age Profile

Plumbing risk in older housing is defined by two eras: the pre-1970 period when lead pipes were commonly used for service lines, and the 1970-to-1986 period when lead solder remained standard in copper plumbing until the federal ban. Highland's median build year of 1987 lands in a range where both eras are heavily represented in the housing stock. That creates an elevated aggregate environment for plumbing-related lead exposure - one that city-level water quality averages don't capture, because the risk sits inside individual properties rather than in the distribution system.

1987

Median Year Built

59%

Pre-1986 (Lead Paint Risk)

15%

Pre-1970 (Lead Pipes Risk)

Pre-1970 (15%) 1970–1986 (44%) Post-1986 (41%)

Over half of homes in Highland 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 Highland Homeowners

Because property values in Highland comfortably exceed estimated remediation costs, the equity impact here is proportionally small.

Median Home Value

$461,500

Est. Remediation

$2,200

Remediation as % of home value 0.5%

Remediation costs in Highland are relatively low compared to home values. The $1,200–$3,400 estimated range is a small fraction of median property value. Home values are 38% below the California average.

Lead Exposure Risk for Children in Highland

59%

Homes Built Before 1986

0.0081

mg/L Avg Lead (Limit: 0.015)

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.

In recent monitoring under the Lead and Copper Rule, citywide samples for Highland have approached or crossed the regulatory action level on multiple occasions. Combined with 59% of stock dating from the pre-rule era, the picture supports baseline single-tap reads as a standard household-level step.

Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.

Historical NFIP Claim Context in Highland

20

Total FEMA Flood Claims

$24,477

Avg Reported Sum With Payment Data

0%

A/V Share of Claim-Record ZIPs

Historical NFIP data for Highland contains 20 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $24,477. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 0% 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>$2,200</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.