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Is Fullerton Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 7:47 pm, July 23, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in Fullerton?

Yes, Fullerton's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Fullerton has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.

According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Fullerton's water utility, City of Fullerton, had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for Fullerton was resolved on Dec. 31, 2017. This assessment is based on the City of Fullerton water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.

While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.

The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.

Fullerton Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years

Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named City of Fullerton for Fullerton in California. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.

From Dec. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2017, Fullerton had 1 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Total Coliform Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Revised Total Coliform Rule.

From Oct. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012, Fullerton had 2 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Routine (IDSE) which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant codes: TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5).

Is there Lead in Fullerton Water?

Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Fullerton water system, City of Fullerton, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.00139 mg/L of lead in Fullerton water. This is 9.3% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Fullerton contained more lead.

While Fullerton water testing may have found 0.00139 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.

No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.

Are there PFAS in Fullerton Tap Water?

Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - DFSP Norwalk - near Fullerton with suspected leaks.

With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Fullerton has been evaluated for yet.

Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.

Fullerton SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years

Compliance Period Status Health-Based? Category Code Code Rule Code Contaminant Code Rule Group Code Rule Family Code
12/01/2017 - 12/31/2017 Resolved Yes Maximum Contaminant Level Violation (MCL) Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) (1A) Revised Total Coliform Rule (111) Revised Total Coliform Rule (8000) Microbials (100) Total Coliform Rules (110)
10/01/2012 - 12/31/2012 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Routine (IDSE) (30) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) TTHM (2950) Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220)
10/01/2012 - 12/31/2012 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Routine (IDSE) (30) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (2456) Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220)

What do these Violations Mean?

Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.

Health Based Violations

  1. Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
  2. Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
  3. Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.

Non-Health Based Violations

  1. Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
  2. Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
  3. Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.

SDWA Table Key

Field Description
Compliance Period Dates of the compliance period.
Status Current status of the violation.
  • Resolved - The violation has at least one resolving enforcement action. In SDWIS, this indicates that either the system has returned to compliance from the violation, the rule that was violated was no longer applicable, or no further action was needed.
  • Archived - The violation is not Resolved, but is more than five years past its compliance period end date. In keeping with the Enforcement Response Policy, the violation no longer contributes to the public water system's overall compliance status. Unresolved violations are also marked as Archived when a system ceases operations (becomes inactive).
  • Addressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and is addressed by one or more formal enforcement actions.
  • Unaddressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and has not been addressed by formal enforcement.
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Health-Based? Whether the violation is health based.
Category Code
The category of violation that is reported.
  • TT - Treatment Technique Violation
  • MRDL - Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level
  • Other - Other Violation
  • MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level Violation
  • MR - Monitoring and Reporting
  • MON - Monitoring Violation
  • RPT - Reporting Violation
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Code A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table.
Contaminant Code A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation.
Rule Code Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rule
  • 121 - Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 122 - Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 123 - Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Ground Water Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 331 - Nitrates
  • 332 - Arsenic
  • 333 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 111 - Revised Total Coliform Rule
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Rule Group Code Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
  • 120 - Surface Water Treatment Rules
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Groundwater Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 330 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rules
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
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Rule Family Code Code for rule family.
  • 100 - Microbials
  • 200 - Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 300 - Chemicals
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
show details

For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.

Fullerton Water - Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I CONTACT FULLERTON CUSTOMER SERVICE?
To contact customer service for the Fullerton water provider, City of Fullerton, please use the information below.
By Phone: 714-738-6864
By Email: mmcwade@cityoffullerton.com
By Mail: 303 W. Commonwealth Ave.
FULLERTON, CA, 92832
HOW TO PAY BILL FOR CITY OF FULLERTON
Already have an account?

Existing customers can login to their City of Fullerton account to pay their Fullerton water bill by clicking here.

Want to create a new account?

If you want to pay your City of Fullerton bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Fullerton water bill.

Want to pay without an account?

If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Fullerton water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.

HOW TO START & STOP FULLERTON WATER SERVICE
Starting Your Service

Moving to a new house or apartment in Fullerton means you will often need to put the water in your name with City of Fullerton. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.

Start Service Form

Want to create a new account?

Leaving your house or apartment in Fullerton means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with City of Fullerton. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.

Stop Service Form

Is Fullerton Tap Water Safe to Drink? Tap water & safety quality

The estimated price of bottled water

$1.5 in USD (1.5-liter)

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

Fullerton tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 10% Very Low
  • Water Pollution 25% Low
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 90% Very High
  • Water Quality 75% High

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Fullerton, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Related FAQS

Contaminants


City of Fullerton

EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the California State Water Resources Control Board, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.

Utility details

  • Serves: 138251
  • Data available: 2012-2017
  • Data Source: Purchased surface water
  • Total: 25

Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines

  • Bromodichloromethane
  • Chloroform
  • Chromium (hexavalent)
  • Dibromochloromethane
  • Dichloroacetic acid
  • Nitrate
  • Nitrate and nitrite
  • Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
  • Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene)
  • Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
  • Trichloroacetic acid
  • Uranium

Other Detected Contaminants

  • 1%2C1-Dichloroethylene
  • 1%2C4-Dioxane
  • Bromide
  • Bromoform
  • Chlorate
  • Dibromoacetic acid
  • Fluoride
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
  • Molybdenum
  • Selenium
  • Strontium
  • Trichloroethylene
  • Vanadium

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

Sources and Resources

Fullerton Tap Water

Fullerton CA, tap water has always been a little suspect. You may have heard that the whole city of Fullerton is contaminated with all kinds of different contaminants. Well, some of this may be true, and some of it isn’t. The problem is that you really can’t figure out where the contamination is coming from.

This is one reason why the bottled water industry has taken off in leaps and bounds here in the United States. People are willing to spend their hard-earned money on something that looks like it might be safer than the municipal water treatment plants. The problem is that many times it’s not. The water treatment facilities in California don’t have nearly the budget to test for all of the various contaminants that come pouring through our taps. They rely on the state testing laboratories, which aren’t very well funded either.

If you live in Fullerton or surrounding areas, you need to take a very close look at your tap water. There is no telling what kind of microorganisms may be living in it. Also, if you live in that area long enough, you’ve probably had some problems with your plumbing already. By taking a close look at the water you’re using, you can usually find a way to filter it to meet specific guidelines.

Drinking Water in Fullerton

A few short miles north of Los Angeles, you can find a town called Fullerton. It is one of the oldest cities in Southern California, and it was named after General Henry Haanel Pines, a well-known judge, and war hero. The city was incorporated in 18 52. It is one of the few Southern California cities with consistent population growth, thanks to its highly-diversified population – it is one of the most diverse cities in America. While it is true that there is some contamination of local supply, the reason that there is so much contamination is that the drinking water is treated in a municipal facility that serves a population of over eight million people. There are indeed hepatitis and other diseases in the local water supply, but that is due to those who choose to drink bottled water or buy chemical-fortified beverages rather than drinking the safe, natural water coming from the tap.

Those who live in Fullerton, California, do not have to worry about those kinds of things because the City Council has taken steps to ensure that they are safe by regularly testing the supply. They try everything from pharmaceuticals to chemicals to drugs to bacteria, and they regulate everything through an unprecedentedly strict code of ethics. If you’re worried about getting tested, that’s your problem to solve. There’s no shame in being anxious about a health risk. In fact, many small towns throughout the United States have similar problems, but those towns have taken steps to address those fears, and they’ve done so successfully.

There is a good reason that cities worry about purity because one way that contaminants get into the drinking water is through people. It is estimated that at least three billion pounds of harmful agents enter the environment through drinking water every year. It’s effortless to protect yourself from those agents by buying the best drinking water containers you can afford. You should also take care of your own health and body by eating a healthy diet and keeping up a regular exercise program, both of which will help you stay healthy.

Fullerton Water Quality

Fullerton CA, water quality standards are the highest globally and surpass California standards by quite a bit. If you have purchased a new home in Fullerton or are thinking about buying one, you must get a water analysis to determine what contaminants are likely to be present. A home water test kit can easily be purchased at your local hardware store and are usually relatively inexpensive. Most of these kits allow you to test for a wide variety of contaminants and determine what the levels are in your home. You might also be able to purchase a meter, but I would highly recommend that you first try to find a way to test the water yourself before you are buying a meter.

I recommend you first test the water yourself because sometimes the results from these self-testers are inaccurate. Sometimes they will state that there are high levels of specific contaminants, but when you go back later to check the levels, they are actually lower. This is because sometimes the ingredient level changes slightly during the manufacturing process, resulting in an incorrect reading. Also, some chemicals and/or pollutants might not show up on a test or might not be present at all. However, a professional water testing company can check for these contaminants for you and will indicate them so.

Regardless of what type of water testing you choose to do, I highly recommend that you take the time to filter out all of the impurities before using tap water. A good water purification system will remove all these contaminants, as well as many other possible contaminants. However, if you are not sure what kind of contaminants are in your water, you can simply ask the local water treatment plant to give you a sample. The water plant will be able to provide you with a free water sample. Once you know what kinds of contaminants are in your water, you can then buy the appropriate filters and begin filtering.

Fullerton Drinking Water Quality

You can do many things to ensure that your Fullerton, CA drinking water quality remains good. The first thing you need to take care of is knowing what kind of contaminants your drinking water is made of. There are some harmful and even deadly contaminants in the water that many people don’t even know about. Luckily, if you have a good quality water filter, you can make sure that you are drinking pure water free from harmful impurities.

Several contaminants can be found in the tap water of Fullerton, CA, and other parts of California. These contaminants include lead, prescription drugs, and hormones. While these are all important to understand, another pollutant that is really important to look out for is pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceuticals are commonly thought of as safe and natural, but the truth is that there are trace amounts of these ingredients present in tap water throughout California. The best thing that you can do is invest in a good home water purification system that can ensure that you are getting clean water at all times. You can also buy organic products, which are more cost-effective than bottled water. Organic products are great because they are better for your body, and you know that you are not contributing to the pollution of our planet. If you are in Fullerton, CA, you should invest in a water filtering system that can provide you with pure water at an affordable price.

Water Utility in Fullerton

If you own a water utility in Fullerton, California, you already know that your monthly bill will probably be higher than usual. You might be thinking about whether you should continue with your current provider or switch again. The first thing to do is review your service contract to see exactly what the water utility can and cannot do to your water supply. If it offers more than your contract allows for in the way of discounts and other special deals, then, by all means, sign on the dotted line. Otherwise, you might have to reconsider your decision and possibly get your water utility services from another company entirely.

The next thing you should do is call your local water utility, ask about their rates, or compare them to your competitors’ rates. You can easily find out what rates other consumers are paying by calling various water companies. If you are a city resident, then you may be even luckier since many water companies in the city also provide free water to particular residents and even some businesses during specific events like festivals and holidays. Some timelines are different for commercial customers, and it may take several weeks or months before you can receive your free water.

When you’ve decided that you want to go ahead and switch to water providers, don’t forget to ask about their emergency services. Some water utility companies offer emergency water services, including bottled water, to residents when there is a water main break. This is a beautiful service and one you definitely shouldn’t ignore. In the Fullerton area, the most critical water utility to consider is the Fullerton Water Company because they offer the best rates and customer service.

Water Supply in Fullerton

If you are looking for an excellent way to provide water for your home in an emergency, you need to check out the water supply in Fullerton. This city is located in the eastern part of Los Angeles County, in Orange County. The city is served by two primary water sources: Oxnard and the Southern California Gas and Electric Company (SCANA). Although it is one of the smaller urban areas in southern California, the population is not that high, and there is enough water to go around.

If you want to find out what your water supply in Fullerton, California, looks like, several sources exist. The main water supply comes from the City of Oxnard and distributes to the city. Another water source is the San Diego-based Metropolitan Water District, which spreads to Orange County as well. You can also check out the county’s water supply map to get a more accurate estimate of how much water you will need.

There are several places where you can get water in Fullerton. There are several hotels in the city that offer indoor and outdoor fountains and commercial and residential sprinkler systems. In addition to water, many Fullerton hotels also provide coffee, juice, ice cream, donuts, pet care products, laundry soap, pet food, and other water products.

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