Water System Report CA

City of San Diego

EPA ID: CA3710020 ยท 1,385,379 people served ยท 54 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for City of San Diego (CA3710020): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. Across the reporting cycles included in federal data, City of San Diego has no EPA violation entries - the file covers a service population of approximately 1,385,379 residents and says nothing about individual household plumbing.

Data: EPA SDWIS

A ยท 91
Avg Safety Score
1,385,379
People Served
54
ZIP Codes Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Surface Water
Water Source
Below the reporting limit
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2023-12-31)
Zone 3
County Radon Potential ยท Low
0
Contaminants Flagged
$870K
Median Home Value in ZIP Codes Served

Service Area Map

Coverage area for City of San Diego Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

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

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$103,897
Median Household Income
1,796,076
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
25%
Disadvantaged Population
40th
Poverty Percentile
20th
Energy Burden Percentile
66%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with City of San Diego have a median household income of $103,897 and about 1,796,076 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 66% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

๐ŸŒŠ Where Does Your Water Come From?

Surface Water

City of San Diego'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
31th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
21th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

49 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
20 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Moderate Wear
Decay Status
Installed 71% 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. 34 detections recorded. 6 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

A 0 violations
San Jose Water
1,039,920 people
1 violation
0 violations
B 0 violations
City of Fresno
545,716 people
C 0 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

PFAS Treatment Water Filtration
PFAS Treatment $480
Water Filtration $60
Total Estimated Cost $540

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 $540 (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

City of San Diego, (EPA ID: CA3710020) is a community water system in California that serves approximately 1,385,379 people from surface water sources.

This system provides water to 54 ZIP codes across 14 communities.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: A (91/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 39 of 54 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 2023-12-31

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

54 of 54 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 3.

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.

This system serves 54 ZIP codes:

91902 ยท 91942 ยท 91945 ยท 91950 ยท 91977 92014 ยท 92025 ยท 92037 ยท 92064 ยท 92067 92071 ยท 92075 ยท 92091 ยท 92092 ยท 92093 92101 ยท 92102 ยท 92103 ยท 92104 ยท 92105 92106 ยท 92107 ยท 92108 ยท 92109 ยท 92110 92111 ยท 92113 ยท 92114 ยท 92115 ยท 92116 92117 ยท 92119 ยท 92120 ยท 92121 ยท 92122 92123 ยท 92124 ยท 92126 ยท 92127 ยท 92128 92129 ยท 92130 ยท 92131 ยท 92132 ยท 92134 92136 ยท 92139 ยท 92140 ยท 92145 ยท 92147 92154 ยท 92161 ยท 92173 ยท 92182

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for City of San Diego (CA3710020) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is City of San Diego water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for City of San Diego 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 City of San Diego serve?

City of San Diego serves approximately 1,385,379 people across 54 ZIP codes in California.

Where does City of San Diego get its water?

The primary water source is surface water.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: No PFAS Reported Above Reporting Levels

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were reported above UCMR5 minimum reporting levels.

Samples collected
464

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†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from City of San Diego safe to drink? ▼
City of San Diego has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The A 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 City of San Diego; 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 City of San Diego serve? ▼
City of San Diego serves approximately 1,385,379 people with drinking water across 54 ZIP codes.
What is City of San Diego's water source? ▼
City of San Diego draws water from surface water sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in City of San Diego'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 City of San Diego? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to City of San Diego have a median household income of $103,897 (Census ZIP-code estimate). Demographic data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and EPA EJScreen.
Where does City of San Diego get its water? ▼
City of San Diego'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.). City of San Diego, CA: Serves 1.4M People. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ca3710020/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-ca3710020,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{City of San Diego, CA: Serves 1.4M People}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/ca3710020/}
}
Home › Water Systems › California › City of San Diego

Get safety alerts for City of San Diego, California

Free updates when EPA data changes for this area. No spam.

Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.

Share This Page

X Facebook
Check your water filter options Free tool - no phone call required.