Head-to-head water quality
Jacksonville, FL vs San Diego, CA
Side-by-side water quality comparison: Jacksonville (Grade F) vs San Diego (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
Jacksonville
San Diego
Better
Violations subscore / 45
0.0
0.0
Tie
Lead/Copper subscore / 20
20.0
16.0
Jacksonville
Contaminant subscore / 20
9.7
14.7
San Diego
Compliance subscore / 10
5.0
5.0
Tie
Source subscore / 5
5.0
4.0
Jacksonville
Lead & copper at the tap
Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) 90th-percentile readings — the value that 10% of sampled homes exceed.
Factor
Jacksonville
San Diego
Better
Lead 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 15 µg/L
0.0 µg/L
0.0 µg/L
San Diego
Copper 90th-percentile (latest) · EPA action level: 1.3 mg/L
—
1.4 mg/L
San Diego
PFAS — "forever chemicals"
UCMR 5 testing, 2023–2025. Federal MCLs: PFOA + PFOS = 4 ng/L; HFPO-DA = 10 ng/L.
Factor
Jacksonville
San Diego
Better
PFAS analytes detected
3 of 30
1 of 30
San Diego
PFAS exceeds federal MCL
No
No
Tie
PFAS hazard index · Sum of (max/MCL) across detected analytes; > 1 indicates exceedance
—
—
—
Violation history
SDWA enforcement actions — fewer is better.
Factor
Jacksonville
San Diego
Better
Violations (last 5 years)
50
24
San Diego
Health-based violations (total)
116
43
San Diego
Unresolved violations
82
52
San Diego
Other contaminants tested
UCMR rounds 1–4 + UCMR 5 lithium. Maxima where data exists; "—" means not tested.
Factor
Jacksonville
San Diego
Better
Chromium-6 (max)
0.10 µg/L
0.36 µg/L
Jacksonville
HAA5 (avg)
14.51 µg/L
9.75 µg/L
San Diego
Manganese (max)
14.10 µg/L
8.20 µg/L
San Diego
Strontium (max)
5890.60 µg/L
940.00 µg/L
San Diego
NDMA (max)
—
2.20 ng/L
San Diego
Vanadium (max)
0.68 µg/L
0.84 µg/L
Jacksonville
Chlorate (max)
2000.00 µg/L
200.00 µg/L
San Diego
Molybdenum (max)
1.30 µg/L
4.70 µg/L
Jacksonville
Industrial proximity
Superfund National Priorities List + Toxic Release Inventory facilities within 10 miles of the city centroid.
Factor
Jacksonville
San Diego
Better
Superfund sites within 10 mi
3
0
San Diego
TRI lbs to surface water within 10 mi (2023)
57,065
3
San Diego
System size & source
Factor
Jacksonville
San Diego
Population served
929K
1.4M
—
Water source
Groundwater
Surface water
—
Number of water systems
20
9
—
See the full reports
Frequently asked
Which has better water — Jacksonville or San Diego?
Jacksonville and San Diego score similarly on WaterVerge's 100-point methodology — both earn a Grade F. See the full breakdown below to compare individual factors like lead levels, PFAS, and recent violations.
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.