Head-to-head water quality

Atlanta, GA vs San Jose, CA

Side-by-side water quality comparison: Atlanta (Grade F) vs San Jose (Grade F). Lead, PFAS, violations, and source-water contamination

Score breakdown

Each factor is shown as raw points (out of the maximum). Higher = better.

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Better

Violations subscore / 45

0.0

Tie

Lead/Copper subscore / 20

16.0

14.0

Atlanta

Contaminant subscore / 20

12.2

5.0

Atlanta

Compliance subscore / 10

5.0

Tie

Source subscore / 5

4.0

Tie

Lead & copper at the tap

Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) 90th-percentile readings — the value that 10% of sampled homes exceed.

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Better

Lead 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 15 µg/L

0.0 µg/L

Atlanta

Copper 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 1.3 mg/L

2.7 mg/L

1.6 mg/L

San Jose

PFAS — "forever chemicals"

UCMR 5 testing, 2023–2025. Federal MCLs: PFOA + PFOS = 4 ng/L; HFPO-DA = 10 ng/L.

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Better

PFAS analytes detected

4 of 30

9 of 30

Atlanta

PFAS exceeds federal MCL

Yes

Atlanta

PFAS hazard index · Sum of (max/MCL) across detected analytes; > 1 indicates exceedance

—

7.90

San Jose

Violation history

SDWA enforcement actions — fewer is better.

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Better

Violations (last 5 years)

Atlanta

Health-based violations (total)

142

Atlanta

Unresolved violations

126

Atlanta

Other contaminants tested

UCMR rounds 1–4 + UCMR 5 lithium. Maxima where data exists; "—" means not tested.

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Better

Chromium-6 (max)

0.21 µg/L

7.30 µg/L

Atlanta

HAA5 (avg)

48.74 µg/L

13.27 µg/L

San Jose

Manganese (max)

1.96 µg/L

100.00 µg/L

Atlanta

Strontium (max)

36.00 µg/L

1400.00 µg/L

Atlanta

1,4-Dioxane (max)

—

7.80 µg/L

San Jose

NDMA (max)

—

7.00 ng/L

San Jose

Perchlorate (max)

—

22.30 µg/L

San Jose

Vanadium (max)

0.44 µg/L

35.00 µg/L

Atlanta

Chlorate (max)

360.00 µg/L

2200.00 µg/L

Atlanta

Molybdenum (max)

—

19.00 µg/L

San Jose

Industrial proximity

Superfund National Priorities List + Toxic Release Inventory facilities within 10 miles of the city centroid.

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Better

Superfund sites within 10 mi

Atlanta

TRI lbs to surface water within 10 mi (2023)

100

San Jose

System size & source

Factor

Atlanta

San Jose

Population served

1.1M

3.2M

—

Water source

Surface water

—

Number of water systems

—

See the full reports

Full report

Atlanta, GA water quality

Grade F · 1.1M served

Full report

San Jose, CA water quality

Grade F · 3.2M served

All cities in Georgia → All cities in California →

Frequently asked

Which has better water — Atlanta or San Jose?

Atlanta, GA scores higher (37.2 vs 28.0) on WaterVerge's 100-point methodology, earning a Grade F compared to San Jose's Grade F. The score combines violation history, lead and copper levels, contaminant testing, monitoring compliance, and source-water type.

How is the WaterVerge water quality score calculated?

The grade combines five subscores: violation history (45 pts, weighted by recency and health-based severity), lead/copper 90th-percentile vs EPA action levels (20 pts), contaminant testing including PFAS, chromium-6, HAA5, NDMA, perchlorate, and Superfund/TRI proximity (20 pts), monitoring compliance (10 pts), and water-source-type risk (5 pts). Full methodology at /about/methodology.

Where does this water quality data come from?

From the EPA's public records: the SDWIS bulk download (violations + system info), UCMR rounds 1–5 (unregulated contaminant testing including PFAS, chromium-6, HAA5, NDMA, perchlorate, vanadium, lithium), the EPA Toxic Release Inventory (industrial polluters), the Superfund National Priorities List, the USGS Powell Domestic-Well Database (private-well chemistry), and the CDC Community Water Fluoridation system. Data is refreshed quarterly.