Water Quality: Salinas, CA
56 water systems • 64,442 people served
Multiple Health ViolationsWater Quality Summary
Salinas is served by 56 public water systems with a combined service population of 64,442 people, and has 567 EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record. Critically, 439 of those are health-based violations, meaning one or more contaminants were detected above EPA-established safe levels — a serious public health concern. Salinas's violation count is 1081% above the national average for California. Contaminants associated with violations include Barium, E. coli, Fecal Coliform, Gross Alpha, Selenium.
Contaminants Found
Increases blood pressure and causes cardiovascular effects with long-term exposure.
Common source: Natural rock deposits, oil drilling operations, coal power plant waste
EPA limit: 2 mg/L
Causes gastrointestinal illness; certain strains (e.g., O157:H7) can cause severe kidney failure and death.
Common source: Fecal contamination from humans or animals entering the water supply
EPA limit: Zero (no E. coli permitted in drinking water)
Indicates direct fecal contamination; associated with diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and potential severe illness.
Common source: Human and animal fecal waste
EPA limit: Zero tolerance (any positive triggers violations)
Alpha-emitting radioactive particles increase cancer risk, particularly from bone and other internal cancers.
Common source: Natural uranium and radium in geological formations
EPA limit: 15 pCi/L (excluding radon and uranium)
Hair loss, nail brittleness, and nervous system damage at elevated concentrations.
Common source: Natural geological deposits, mining discharges, oil refinery waste
EPA limit: 0.05 mg/L (50 ppb)
Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids that increase cancer risk and may cause adverse reproductive outcomes.
Common source: Chlorine disinfection reacting with natural organic matter in source water
EPA limit: TTHM: 0.080 mg/L; HAA5: 0.060 mg/L
Water Systems Serving Salinas
| System Name | PWSID | Source | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALCO WATER SERVICE | CA2710001 | Groundwater | 56,253 | 0 |
| TASCO SPRECKELS WATER COMPANY | CA2710023 | Groundwater | 1,772 | 12 |
| GABILAN WC | CA2700586 | Groundwater | 535 | 1 |
| HITCHCOCK RD WS #01 | CA2702320 | Groundwater | 360 | 0 |
| PRUNEDALE MWC | CA2700702 | Groundwater | 277 | 19 |
| PEDRAZZI MWC | CA2701364 | Groundwater | 273 | 0 |
| SAN JERARDO COOP WS | CA2701904 | Groundwater | 249 | 0 |
| COUNTRYSIDE ESTATES MWC | CA2702374 | Groundwater | 243 | 2 |
| PARADISE LAKE MUTUAL WATER CO. | CA2700674 | Groundwater | 213 | 1 |
| MORO RD WS #09 | CA2701926 | Groundwater | 210 | 78 |
| PARADISE RD WS #09 | CA2700682 | Groundwater | 206 | 2 |
| COLONIAL OAK WC INC | CA2700534 | Groundwater | 198 | 7 |
| ROLLING HILLS RANCHO WA | CA2700713 | Surface Water | 185 | 1 |
| FOOTHILL ESTATES WS | CA2702198 | Groundwater | 183 | 0 |
| LAGUNA SECA WC | CA2700612 | Groundwater | 162 | 56 |
| EL CAMINO WC INC | CA2702409 | Groundwater | 133 | 66 |
| ASSISI MWC | CA2700503 | Groundwater | 126 | 3 |
| PRINCES CAMP RESORT WS | CA2701355 | Groundwater | 126 | 1 |
| PESANTE RD WS #02 | CA2700687 | Groundwater | 120 | 0 |
| BLUFFS WS | CA2701740 | Groundwater | 120 | 0 |
| HIDDEN CANYON RANCH MWC | CA2702554 | Groundwater | 116 | 0 |
| HOLLY HILLS MWC | CA2701789 | Groundwater | 108 | 0 |
| OAK HEIGHTS W & R CO INC | CA2700665 | Groundwater | 105 | 23 |
| RANCHO BORROMEO MWC | CA2700709 | Groundwater | 100 | 1 |
| SAN MIGUEL WS #22 | CA2702073 | Groundwater | 93 | 3 |
| OAK MANOR WS | CA2700509 | Groundwater | 92 | 2 |
| MCCOY RD WS #05 | CA2701040 | Groundwater | 92 | 43 |
| ROBLEY PROPERTY MWS | CA2701822 | Groundwater | 92 | 3 |
| ENCINAL RD WS #01 | CA2701241 | Groundwater | 91 | 86 |
| SPRING CANYON WA | CA2700838 | Groundwater | 90 | 14 |
| MESA DEL TORO MWC | CA2701503 | Groundwater | 90 | 1 |
| HIDDEN VALLEY WA | CA2700594 | Groundwater | 87 | 27 |
| IVERSON & JACKS APTS WS | CA2701068 | Groundwater | 86 | 0 |
| BLACKIE RD WS #05 | CA2700837 | Groundwater | 78 | 2 |
| HARBOR VIEW WA | CA2701498 | Groundwater | 75 | 2 |
| GLENN AVE WS #01 | CA2700589 | Groundwater | 73 | 3 |
| VIERRA KNOLLS MWC | CA2702055 | Groundwater | 66 | 2 |
| GARLEN COURT WS | CA2700686 | Groundwater | 65 | 11 |
| VIERRA MEADOWS MWC | CA2702003 | Groundwater | 65 | 3 |
| LEAFWOOD COMMUNITY WA | CA2700624 | Groundwater | 64 | 4 |
| Z RANCH MWC | CA2700731 | Groundwater | 62 | 2 |
| TIERRA MEADOWS HOA WS | CA2701367 | Groundwater | 58 | 4 |
| JOST POST WA | CA2700535 | Groundwater | 56 | 2 |
| DESMOND RD WS #03 | CA2700547 | Groundwater | 56 | 1 |
| CORDA RD WS | CA2701820 | Groundwater | 54 | 11 |
| TIERRA VISTA MWC | CA2701959 | Groundwater | 54 | 24 |
| PESANTE RD WS #06 | CA2700691 | Groundwater | 50 | 2 |
| TIERRA VERDE MWC | CA2700775 | Groundwater | 48 | 4 |
| PARADISE RD WS #21 | CA2701633 | Groundwater | 48 | 2 |
| FOOTHILL WA | CA2702135 | Groundwater | 46 | 2 |
| ECHO VALLEY RD WS #05 | CA2701423 | Groundwater | 45 | 1 |
| MOUNT TORO RANCHOS MWA | CA2701935 | Groundwater | 45 | 3 |
| CALERA CANYON HEIGHTS HOA | CA2700523 | Groundwater | 40 | 4 |
| BERRY DR WS #02 | CA2701897 | Groundwater | 40 | 0 |
| ROYAL SIERRA ESTATES WS | CA2700970 | Groundwater | 36 | 26 |
| ORCHARD LN WS #02 | CA2700669 | Groundwater | 32 | 0 |
Concerned About Your Water?
A home water filter can remove common contaminants. NSF-certified filters are tested against EPA standards.
Consider a reverse osmosis system for comprehensive filtration or a carbon filter for basic improvement.
Other Cities in California
Data Sources
Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Data includes all recorded violations for active community water systems.