Sunset Beach, CA Home Safety: Home Safety 75/100
1 ZIP code · 2 water systems · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for Sunset Beach: B.
This ZIP looks solid, with a few items worth a quick check.
Tap water in Sunset Beach, CA scores well - low violation counts, above-average safety grade.
How Sunset Beach Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
What You Should Know About Sunset Beach Water
- Homes built before 1986: 86% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $1,800 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 10.23.
Who Supplies Your Water in Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach, CA is covered by 2 major water utilities out of 2 federally tracked systems, each managing its own pipes, treatment processes, and EPA filings. What a household gets from the tap depends on which provider's system serves that address.
- B
- B
Overview
We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Sunset Beach, California (population ~385), covering 2 community water systems serving approximately 225,937 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.
The available EPA record reports 0 violations for 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for Sunset Beach: B (75/100)
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
Sunset Beach water systems draw from: Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0000 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 3 (Low Risk)
Areas with No Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | System | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90742 | B | City of Huntington Beach | 201,000 |
All ZIP Codes in Sunset Beach
- 90742 [B]
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 Sunset Beach
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
Housing & Infrastructure in Sunset Beach
With 86% 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
When a city's housing median build year is 1954, as in Sunset Beach, the implication for water quality research is straightforward: municipal-level data captures what leaves the treatment plant, but household plumbing from before 1986 determines what actually arrives at the tap. In cities where older housing predominates, that gap between system-level and household-level data is widest.
Over half of homes in Sunset Beach 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 Sunset Beach Homeowners
Because property values in Sunset Beach comfortably exceed estimated remediation costs, the equity impact here is proportionally small.
Remediation costs in Sunset Beach are relatively low compared to home values. The $1,200–$2,600 estimated range is a small fraction of median property value. Home values are 120% above the California average.
Lead Exposure Risk for Children in Sunset Beach
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.
When older housing represents 86% of the local inventory or aggregate readings approach the federal action level, an in-home check becomes the standard way to translate citywide averages into the specific reality of an individual Sunset Beach address.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Historical NFIP Claim Context in Sunset Beach
Historical NFIP data for Sunset Beach contains 22 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $6,313. 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>$1,800</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 Sunset Beach, CA