We read 17 results from South Gate-City, Water Dept.’s 2025 water quality report. No results over a legal limit; 4 above a health goal or guideline.
Serves about 76,443 people · Water system ID CA1910152 · Read the district’s 2025 report (opens in a new tab)
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Results from the 2025 report
Each number is copied from the district’s report and links to the page it’s printed on. Where the report lists several plants, wells or purchased water, the highest is shown.
| Contaminant | Result | Health goal | Legal limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper90th percentile of 30 homes tested, 0 over the action level · sampled 2024 · Customer taps · 2025 report, page 5 | 0.5 ppm | 0.3 ppm | 1.3 ppm (action level) | Above the health goal1.7x the health goal |
| PFOA (a PFAS)average · range ND to 12 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 7.1 ppt | 0.007 ppt | 4 ppt from 2029 | Above the federal limit that takes effect in 20291.8x the 4 ppt federal limit that takes effect in 2029Not a violation yet: EPA's 4 ppt limit is final, but water systems don't have to meet it until 2029. |
| PFOS (a PFAS)average · range ND to 30 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 16.2 ppt | 1 ppt | 4 ppt from 2029 | Above the federal limit that takes effect in 20294.1x the 4 ppt federal limit that takes effect in 2029Not a violation yet: EPA's 4 ppt limit is final, but water systems don't have to meet it until 2029. |
| Uraniumaverage · range 2.24 to 5.81 · printed as 2.44 pCi/L · City wells · 2025 report, page 4 | 3.64 ppb | 0.6 ppb | 30 ppb | Above the health goal6.1x the health goal |
| Chlorideaverage · range 1.2 to 64 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 39.2 ppm | — | 250 ppm guideline | Within the guideline |
| Disinfection byproducts (TTHM)highest running annual average · range 2.3 to 15 · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 4 | 10.8 ppb | None set | 80 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Lead90th percentile of 30 homes tested, 0 over the action level · sampled 2024 · Customer taps · 2025 report, page 5 | Not detected | 0.2 ppb | 15 ppb (action level) | Not detected |
| Manganeseaverage · range ND to 0.03 · printed as 6.0 ppb · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 0.006 ppm | — | 0.05 ppm guideline | Within the guideline |
| PFHxS (a PFAS)average · range ND to 5.6 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 3.3 ppt | None set | 10 ppt from 2029 | Below the legal limit |
| Sulfateaverage · range 83 to 120 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 97 ppm | — | 250 ppm guideline | Within the guideline |
| Total dissolved solidsaverage · range 360 to 480 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 410 ppm | — | 500 ppm guideline | Within the guideline |
| 1,4-Dioxaneaverage · range ND to 1.9 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 0.8 ppb | None set | None | No health limit |
| Hardnessaverage · range 11.9 to 16.3 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 13.9 gpg (238 ppm) | — | — | Very hard |
| PFBS (a PFAS)average · range ND to 5.1 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 2.7 ppt | None set | None | No health limit |
| PFHpA (a PFAS)average · range ND to 3.4 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 1.9 ppt | None set | None | No health limit |
| PFHxA (a PFAS)average · range ND to 7.9 · City wells · 2025 report, page 5 | 4.1 ppt | None set | None | No health limit |
| Sodiumaverage · range 40 to 48 · City wells · 2025 report, page 6 | 44.2 ppm | None set | None | No health limit |
Utility results describe the whole system, measured where water enters the pipes, not your tap. Your home’s plumbing can add lead or copper.
EPA testing for PFAS and lithium
EPA’s own nationwide testing (UCMR 5) found these in South Gate-City, Water Dept.’s water between Mar 2023 and Jan 2024. These are EPA lab results, separate from the district’s report. Anything not listed was not detected.
- PFOA10 pptFound in 4 of 10 samples · highest resultAbove the federal limit that takes effect in 2029 (4 ppt)
- PFOS26 pptFound in 4 of 10 samples · highest resultAbove the federal limit that takes effect in 2029 (4 ppt)
- PFHxS6 pptFound in 4 of 10 samples · highest resultNo federal limit in force for this one
- PFBS3.9 pptFound in 2 of 10 samples · highest resultNo federal limit in force for this one
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data. The highest single result is shown; one high sample doesn’t mean every glass is that high.
What you can do
Nothing here is an emergency notice: if the district has a violation, it must tell customers directly. If you’d like to lower these at your tap, these are the treatments that remove them, and the catalog shows the models certified for each. Ranking is by certified removal; commissions never change the order.
Copper
Found: Copper
What removes it: Reverse osmosis.
PFAS ("forever chemicals")
Found: PFOA (a PFAS), PFOS (a PFAS), PFOA (EPA testing), PFOS (EPA testing)
What removes it: Reverse osmosis.
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