Water System Report CA

Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens

EPA ID: CA1910011 ยท 55,050 people served ยท 1 ZIP code

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens (CA1910011): a UCMR5 PFAS sample above the level of an EPA PFAS MCL, which takes effect in 2029; this is not a violation. Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens's compliance file in EPA SDWIS lists no violations, whether health-based or monitoring and reporting, for a utility that supplies water to approximately 55,050 residents.

Data: EPA SDWIS

C ยท 58
Avg Safety Score
55,050
People Served
1
ZIP Code Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Surface Water
Water Source
Below the reporting limit
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2025-12-31)
Zone 2
County Radon Potential ยท Moderate
0
Contaminants Flagged
$543K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary - average Home Safety grade of mapped ZIPs: C

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$56,824
Median Household Income
93,783
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
49%
Disadvantaged Population
50th
Poverty Percentile
20th
Energy Burden Percentile
82%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens have a median household income of $56,824 and about 93,783 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 82% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 49% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this service area are designated disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST, 2022 version). Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.

๐ŸŒŠ Where Does Your Water Come From?

Surface Water

Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.

Moderate Risk
Source Contamination Risk
50th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
70th
Superfund Site Proximity

Superfund Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 70th percentile nationally for proximity to Superfund (NPL) sites.

Infrastructure Risk

58 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Galvanized Steel or Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
7 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Stable
Decay Status
Installed 89% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

PFAS in ZIP Codes This System Serves

PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been reported in samples from water systems associated with the ZIP codes in this system's area. These results can come from other water systems serving the same ZIP codes; check the UCMR5 section for any results reported for this system. 8 detections recorded. 2 detections are above the level of a federal PFAS MCL (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS), with compliance required from 2029.

State PFAS values in our reference data (state notification level (not a limit)); check current state rules: PFOA: 4 ppt, PFOS: 4 ppt, PFHxS: 3 ppt, PFBS: 500 ppt, PFHxA: 1000 ppt
Health concern: Exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with some cancers and with immune and developmental effects; effects differ by compound. Many PFAS break down very slowly in the environment.
Recommended filter: An activated carbon filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 or a reverse osmosis system certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for the PFAS listed in its certification. Find the right filter โ†’

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in California

B 0 violations
B 0 violations
City of Lincoln
54,538 people
C 0 violations
City of Ceres
54,513 people
B 2 violations
City of Rialto
54,453 people
C 0 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

PFAS Treatment
PFAS Treatment $600
Total Estimated Cost $600

Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

PFAS Exposure - Lifetime Cost $1,000

Per person (emerging research est.)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$165
10 years
$330
20 years
$660

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $600 (one-time) vs. $330 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

System Overview

Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens (EPA ID: CA1910011) is a community water system in California that serves approximately 55,050 people from surface water sources.

This system serves ZIP code 90201 in Bell Gardens.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: C (58/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 1 of 1 service-area ZIP codes with all required score domains observed. It is not a grade for the water utility.

Model 4.0.0 uses SDWIS identity plus accepted ECHO SDWA lifecycle-based water compliance, the UCMR 5 PFAS MCL screen, EPA radon zone, and annual EPA AirData AQI across three equally weighted domains. Missing required evidence suppresses the score.

Violation History

No accepted violation records in the 2021-2026 window - The accepted EPA ECHO 2026Q2 snapshot contains zero violation records for this system whose record year falls from 2021 through 2026, inclusive. This is not a tap-water safety guarantee.

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
Below the reporting limit No 2025-12-31

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

1 of 1 ZIP records with known zones is in EPA Radon Zone 2.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by CA or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens (CA1910011) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens in the inclusive 2021-2026 record-year window. This is a compliance-record finding, not a guarantee about water at a specific tap.

How many people does Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens serve?

Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens serves approximately 55,050 people across 1 ZIP code in California.

Where does Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Sample Above an EPA MCL Value or State Standard

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). One or more PFAS measurements were above the level of the EPA MCL for that compound (April 2024 rule, which takes effect in 2029) or above an applicable state drinking-water standard; a monitoring result above that level is not by itself a violation.

Samples collected
316
Detections
7
Latest sample
7/8/2025
Highest analyte
PFOS: 15 ppt
Analyte Max detected EPA MCL (compliance required from 2029) Status
PFOS 15 ppt 4 ppt Above EPA MCL value (compliance required from 2029)
PFBA 11 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFPeA 7.3 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFHxA 6.6 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFBS 4.1 ppt No federal MCL โ€”
PFHxS 3.6 ppt 10 ppt Below EPA MCL

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) โ€” per-system federal sampling, 2023โ€“2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program โ†’

Understand PFAS health context and filtration โ†’

How Water Systems Appear in Rankings

Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens safe to drink? ▼
Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The C shown is a ZIP-area score, not a grade for this utility; see the violation table for what was violated.
Should I use a water filter? ▼
No EPA drinking-water violations since 2021 are on record for Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens; this page does not establish contaminant levels at your tap. That is a compliance record, not a guarantee about the water at your tap; a certified filter can target a specific contaminant you are concerned about.
How many people does Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens serve? ▼
Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens serves approximately 55,050 people with drinking water across 1 ZIP code.
What is Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens's water source? ▼
Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens's water? ▼
The reported 90th-percentile lead result is below the laboratory reporting limit, not a measured zero; EPA's health goal for lead is zero. This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens have a median household income of $56,824 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 49% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this area are designated disadvantaged (average across mapped ZIP codes), which may indicate greater vulnerability to environmental health risks.
Where does Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens get its water? ▼
Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap. Based on the available data, the modeled source-contamination category is moderate; test local water to assess actual exposure.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens, CA: Serves 55K People. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ca1910011/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-ca1910011,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens, CA: Serves 55K People}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ca1910011/}
}

What You Can Do

1

Test your water

Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter โ†’

2

Check your specific ZIP code

Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report โ†’

3

Contact your utility

Gswc - Bell, Bell Gardens (EPA ID: CA1910011) - request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.

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