Head-to-head water quality
Burlingame, CA vs Bayamon, PR
Side-by-side water quality comparison: Burlingame (Grade A-) vs Bayamon (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
Burlingame
Bayamon
Better
Violations subscore / 45
42.4
0.0
Burlingame
Lead/Copper subscore / 20
16.0
17.0
Bayamon
Contaminant subscore / 20
18.9
7.5
Burlingame
Compliance subscore / 10
8.0
10.0
Bayamon
Source subscore / 5
4.0
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
Burlingame
Bayamon
Better
Lead 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 15 µg/L
0.0 µg/L
0.0 µg/L
Burlingame
Copper 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 1.3 mg/L
1.6 mg/L
—
Burlingame
PFAS — "forever chemicals"
UCMR 5 testing, 2023–2025. Federal MCLs: PFOA + PFOS = 4 ng/L; HFPO-DA = 10 ng/L.
Factor
Burlingame
Bayamon
Better
PFAS analytes detected
0 of 30
8 of 30
Burlingame
PFAS exceeds federal MCL
No
Yes
Burlingame
PFAS hazard index · Sum of (max/MCL) across detected analytes; > 1 indicates exceedance
—
4.67
Bayamon
Violation history
SDWA enforcement actions — fewer is better.
Factor
Burlingame
Bayamon
Better
Violations (last 5 years)
0
55
Burlingame
Health-based violations (total)
14
348
Burlingame
Unresolved violations
1
20
Burlingame
Other contaminants tested
UCMR rounds 1–4 + UCMR 5 lithium. Maxima where data exists; "—" means not tested.
Factor
Burlingame
Bayamon
Better
Chromium-6 (max)
0.15 µg/L
0.29 µg/L
Burlingame
HAA5 (avg)
36.76 µg/L
40.11 µg/L
Burlingame
Manganese (max)
6.60 µg/L
141.63 µg/L
Burlingame
Strontium (max)
170.00 µg/L
226.70 µg/L
Burlingame
1,4-Dioxane (max)
—
0.16 µg/L
Bayamon
NDMA (max)
—
6.20 ng/L
Bayamon
Vanadium (max)
0.48 µg/L
6.07 µg/L
Burlingame
Chlorate (max)
270.00 µg/L
49.50 µg/L
Bayamon
Molybdenum (max)
—
1.25 µg/L
Bayamon
Industrial proximity
Superfund National Priorities List + Toxic Release Inventory facilities within 10 miles of the city centroid.
Factor
Burlingame
Bayamon
Better
Superfund sites within 10 mi
1
0
Bayamon
TRI lbs to surface water within 10 mi (2023)
0
0
Tie
System size & source
Factor
Burlingame
Bayamon
Population served
885K
1.1M
—
Water source
Purchased surface water
Surface water
—
Number of water systems
8
2
—
See the full reports
Frequently asked
Which has better water — Burlingame or Bayamon?
Burlingame, CA scores higher (89.2 vs 38.5) on WaterVerge's 100-point methodology, earning a Grade A- compared to Bayamon'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.