Strontium Contamination

Strontium in California Drinking Water

Ranked by max strontium detected (µg/L) · UCMR 3 data (2013–2015) · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

335

Cities Tested

Over HRL

% Over HRL

713.6 µg/L

State Avg

▼ 0% vs national

vs National

624

Health Violations

Analysis

Strontium in California: what the data shows

California has 335 cities with strontium data from the EPA's UCMR 3 program (2013–2015). Strontium was detected above the 1,500 µg/L EPA health reference level in 19 of those cities. The state average max detected level is 713.6 µg/L. Strontium occurs naturally in groundwater, particularly in areas with limestone and dolomite geology. It can also enter water from industrial waste and mining operations. There is no federal MCL for strontium, but the EPA established a health reference level (HRL) of 1,500 µg/L. Long-term exposure to strontium above the HRL may affect bone health, particularly in children, by substituting for calcium in developing bones. Reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems are effective at removing strontium from drinking water.

Comparison

Cities exceeding 1,500 µg/L EPA HRL (no MCL)

California

19 of 335 cities

← = Exactly at national rate

National avg

250 of 4371 cities

City Map

Strontium data across California

Each dot is a city with UCMR 3 strontium testing data. Cities where strontium exceeds the 1,500 µg/L EPA health reference level are highlighted. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by strontium level in California

Highest Strontium levels (µg/L)

All Cities

All California cities ranked by strontium level

#	City	Level	Over HRL?	Violations	Grade
1	Patterson	3200.0 µg/L	Over HRL	35	B+
2	San Dimas	2650.0 µg/L	Over HRL	6	B-
3	Downey	2400.0 µg/L	Over HRL	14	B
4	Blythe	2400.0 µg/L	Over HRL	143	D
5	Newhall	2200.0 µg/L	Over HRL	1	B+
6	Tracy	2100.0 µg/L	Over HRL	45	C
7	Los Banos	2100.0 µg/L	Over HRL	29	B
8	Fillmore	2100.0 µg/L	Over HRL	13	B-
9	Newman	2100.0 µg/L	Over HRL	3	A-
10	Palm Desert	2000.0 µg/L	Over HRL	12	C+
11	Santa Barbara	1900.0 µg/L	Over HRL	52	F
12	Modesto	1800.0 µg/L	Over HRL	76	D
13	Ceres	1800.0 µg/L	Over HRL	129	F
14	Lindsay	1800.0 µg/L	Over HRL	240	F
15	Imperial	1700.0 µg/L	Over HRL	36	C+
16	Ventura	1600.0 µg/L	Over HRL	21	D+
17	Goleta	1600.0 µg/L	Over HRL	11	B
18	Point Mugu	1600.0 µg/L	Over HRL	11	A-
19	Carmel Valley	1520.0 µg/L	Over HRL	45	C+
20	Pleasanton	1500.0 µg/L	No	3	B-
21	Brentwood	1500.0 µg/L	No	91	F
22	El Centro	1500.0 µg/L	No	14	C-
23	San Jose	1400.0 µg/L	No	142	F
24	Hawthorne	1400.0 µg/L	No	3	B
25	Manteca	1400.0 µg/L	No	39	B-
26	Hollister	1400.0 µg/L	No	132	F
27	Moorpark	1400.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
28	Rancho Cordova	1300.0 µg/L	No	115	F
29	La Habra	1300.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
30	Fallbrook	1300.0 µg/L	No	3	A
31	Santa Paula	1300.0 µg/L	No	5	A-
32	Brawley	1300.0 µg/L	No	5	A-
33	Anaheim	1280.0 µg/L	No	8	C+
34	Huntington Beach	1240.0 µg/L	No	5	C-
35	Alhambra	1200.0 µg/L	No	7	A-
36	Glendale	1200.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
37	Temecula	1200.0 µg/L	No	12	C+
38	Oceanside	1200.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
39	Rancho Santa Margarita	1200.0 µg/L	No	0	A
40	Torrance	1200.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
41	Camarillo	1200.0 µg/L	No	4	B
42	Compton	1200.0 µg/L	No	8	B
43	Laguna Beach	1200.0 µg/L	No	2	B
44	Santa Fe Springs	1200.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
45	Lake Forest	1200.0 µg/L	No	38	B-
46	San Clemente	1200.0 µg/L	No	3	A-
47	Beverly Hills	1200.0 µg/L	No	18	B
48	Calexico	1200.0 µg/L	No	7	B-
49	San Juan Capistrano	1200.0 µg/L	No	5	B+
50	Ramona	1200.0 µg/L	No	36	C
51	Phelan	1200.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
52	Vernon	1200.0 µg/L	No	3	A
53	Port Hueneme	1200.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
54	Lomita	1200.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
55	Rosemead	1182.8 µg/L	No	17	C-
56	Escondido	1140.0 µg/L	No	10	B
57	Irvine	1100.0 µg/L	No	84	F
58	Bakersfield	1100.0 µg/L	No	690	F
59	La Mesa	1100.0 µg/L	No	0	A+
60	Oxnard	1100.0 µg/L	No	49	F
61	Chula Vista	1100.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
62	Pomona	1100.0 µg/L	No	6	C+
63	Corona	1100.0 µg/L	No	81	D
64	Davis	1100.0 µg/L	No	47	B+
65	San Marcos	1100.0 µg/L	No	27	D
66	Walnut	1100.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
67	Inglewood	1100.0 µg/L	No	3	A-
68	Lynwood	1100.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
69	Woodland	1100.0 µg/L	No	52	F
70	Brea	1100.0 µg/L	No	0	A
71	Cerritos	1100.0 µg/L	No	0	B
72	Valley Center	1100.0 µg/L	No	15	F
73	Lakeside	1100.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
74	Manhattan Beach	1100.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
75	Shafter	1100.0 µg/L	No	25	A-
76	El Segundo	1100.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
77	Tustin	1090.0 µg/L	No	8	B
78	Santa Ana	1070.0 µg/L	No	8	C
79	Garden Grove	1070.0 µg/L	No	2	B
80	Fullerton	1070.0 µg/L	No	8	B
81	Orange	1070.0 µg/L	No	3	B
82	Westminster	1070.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
83	Placentia	1070.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
84	Buena Park	1070.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
85	Newport Beach	1070.0 µg/L	No	4	B+
86	Fountain Valley	1070.0 µg/L	No	0	A
87	Los Angeles	1040.0 µg/L	No	94	F
88	Seal Beach	1040.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
89	Sacramento	1000.0 µg/L	No	425	F
90	Perris	1000.0 µg/L	No	0	A
91	Rowland Heights	1000.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
92	Glendora	1000.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
93	Huntington Park	1000.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
94	Lathrop	1000.0 µg/L	No	44	B
95	Trabuco Canyon	1000.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
96	Scotts Valley	1000.0 µg/L	No	11	B-
97	Covina	990.0 µg/L	No	10	B
98	Spring Valley	990.0 µg/L	No	4	B
99	Hemet	990.0 µg/L	No	31	B-
100	Vista	980.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
101	Lodi	980.0 µg/L	No	16	C+
102	Colton	980.0 µg/L	No	5	B-
103	Long Beach	970.0 µg/L	No	2	C
104	Rancho Santa Fe	970.0 µg/L	No	3	A-
105	Pasadena	960.0 µg/L	No	92	F
106	Laguna Hills	960.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
107	Burbank	960.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
108	Poway	960.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
109	La Palma	960.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
110	Sierra Madre	960.0 µg/L	No	5	A
111	Encinitas	950.0 µg/L	No	55	F
112	Carlsbad	950.0 µg/L	No	0	A+
113	Ripon	950.0 µg/L	No	10	A-
114	San Diego	940.0 µg/L	No	43	F
115	Norwalk	940.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
116	Soledad	930.0 µg/L	No	28	C+
117	Whittier	900.0 µg/L	No	4	C+
118	Costa Mesa	899.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
119	Victorville	890.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
120	Paramount	890.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
121	Carpinteria	890.0 µg/L	No	5	A
122	Nuevo	890.0 µg/L	No	6	B+
123	La Crescenta	880.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
124	Santee	860.0 µg/L	No	14	B
125	Imperial Beach	840.3 µg/L	No	1	A
126	Lake Elsinore	840.0 µg/L	No	8	A
127	Santa Monica	840.0 µg/L	No	0	B
128	Discovery Bay	840.0 µg/L	No	3	A+
129	Riverbank	830.0 µg/L	No	75	D
130	Bellflower	820.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
131	Greenfield	820.0 µg/L	No	17	B
132	South Gate	800.0 µg/L	No	2	B
133	Stockton	790.0 µg/L	No	261	F
134	Pico Rivera	780.0 µg/L	No	4	B
135	Paso Robles	770.0 µg/L	No	42	F
136	Oak View	770.0 µg/L	No	12	B+
137	Ridgecrest	760.0 µg/L	No	26	A-
138	Firebaugh	760.0 µg/L	No	89	D
139	Quartz Hill	750.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
140	San Bernardin0	740.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
141	Norco	740.0 µg/L	No	39	F
142	Chowchilla	740.0 µg/L	No	25	A-
143	Marina	730.0 µg/L	No	4	A+
144	Bell Gardens	720.0 µg/L	No	0	B
145	Wasco	710.0 µg/L	No	26	B+
146	Fort Irwin	710.0 µg/L	No	60	B+
147	Adelanto	700.0 µg/L	No	13	C
148	Grand Terrace	690.0 µg/L	No	1	B
149	Jurupa Valley	680.0 µg/L	No	62	B
150	Lakewood	670.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
151	El Monte	660.0 µg/L	No	79	F
152	Merced	660.0 µg/L	No	9	C+
153	Turlock	660.0 µg/L	No	16	B-
154	Hamilton City	652.0 µg/L	No	0	A+
155	Montebello	650.0 µg/L	No	5	B
156	Cudahy	640.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
157	Highland	630.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
158	Tulare	630.0 µg/L	No	61	C-
159	Petaluma	630.0 µg/L	No	2	B
160	Apple Valley	630.0 µg/L	No	57	D
161	Indio	620.0 µg/L	No	12	F
162	Westlake Village	620.0 µg/L	No	8	F
163	Thousand Oaks	610.0 µg/L	No	1	A
164	Signal Hill	610.0 µg/L	No	6	B
165	Vacaville	600.0 µg/L	No	26	F
166	Santa Maria	600.0 µg/L	No	36	F
167	Desert Hot Springs	600.0 µg/L	No	4	A
168	Calabasas	590.0 µg/L	No	14	A-
169	Camp Pendleton	590.0 µg/L	No	13	B
170	Morgan Hill	590.0 µg/L	No	92	F
171	Arvin	590.0 µg/L	No	81	C+
172	La Verne	580.0 µg/L	No	6	B+
173	Reedley	580.0 µg/L	No	12	B-
174	Baldwin Park	570.0 µg/L	No	1	A
175	Monterey Park	570.0 µg/L	No	1	B
176	Altadena	570.0 µg/L	No	2	B+
177	San Fernando	570.0 µg/L	No	1	A+
178	Ontario	560.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
179	Exeter	560.0 µg/L	No	41	B
180	Gilroy	550.0 µg/L	No	28	C+
181	Soquel	550.0 µg/L	No	1	A
182	Taft	550.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
183	Arroyo Grande	545.0 µg/L	No	93	F
184	Lompoc	540.0 µg/L	No	18	C
185	Arcadia	540.0 µg/L	No	2	B
186	Azusa	530.0 µg/L	No	2	B+
187	Watsonville	530.0 µg/L	No	74	F
188	Salinas	530.0 µg/L	No	639	F
189	Delano	530.0 µg/L	No	67	B
190	Riverside	520.0 µg/L	No	13	C
191	San Bruno	520.0 µg/L	No	0	A+
192	Nipomo	520.0 µg/L	No	1	A
193	Fresno	510.0 µg/L	No	523	F
194	Palmdale	510.0 µg/L	No	15	C+
195	Madera	510.0 µg/L	No	564	D
196	Atascadero	510.0 µg/L	No	1	B
197	Rialto	500.0 µg/L	No	6	B+
198	Sunnyvale	500.0 µg/L	No	3	A
199	Redding	500.0 µg/L	No	49	F
200	Atwater	500.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
201	Arcata	500.0 µg/L	No	3	A
202	Lamont	490.0 µg/L	No	40	B+
203	Livingston	490.0 µg/L	No	29	C-
204	Cupertino	480.0 µg/L	No	3	A+
205	Milpitas	470.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
206	Grover Beach	470.0 µg/L	No	34	F
207	Citrus Heights	460.0 µg/L	No	2	A
208	Chino	450.0 µg/L	No	9	B
209	Chino Hills	450.0 µg/L	No	2	A
210	Palm Springs	450.0 µg/L	No	16	B
211	San Luis Obispo	450.0 µg/L	No	27	F
212	Santa Clara	440.0 µg/L	No	5	B
213	Mountain View	430.0 µg/L	No	3	A
214	Pala	430.0 µg/L	No	30	C-
215	Gonzales	428.4 µg/L	No	53	F
216	Olivehurst	420.0 µg/L	No	2	A
217	Rosamond	420.0 µg/L	No	205	F
218	Simi Valley	410.0 µg/L	No	3	A
219	Porterville	410.0 µg/L	No	74	F
220	Elk Grove	410.0 µg/L	No	28	C
221	Oakdale	410.0 µg/L	No	34	C-
222	Kingsburg	410.0 µg/L	No	17	B
223	Fremont	400.0 µg/L	No	3	B-
224	Roseville	400.0 µg/L	No	11	B
225	Montclair	400.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
226	Twentynine Palms	400.0 µg/L	No	70	B+
227	Pacific Grove	397.7 µg/L	No	15	B-
228	Hesperia	390.0 µg/L	No	2	B
229	California City	390.0 µg/L	No	22	A-
230	San Bernardino	380.0 µg/L	No	192	F
231	Loma Linda	380.0 µg/L	No	3	A
232	Edwards Afb	380.0 µg/L	No	8	A-
233	Dinuba	380.0 µg/L	No	24	A-
234	Clovis	370.0 µg/L	No	221	F
235	Truckee	370.0 µg/L	No	7	A-
236	Coachella	370.0 µg/L	No	11	C-
237	Eureka	370.0 µg/L	No	3	A-
238	Sanger	370.0 µg/L	No	16	C
239	Fontana	360.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
240	Redlands	360.0 µg/L	No	2	B
241	Lemoore	360.0 µg/L	No	112	D
242	Livermore	360.0 µg/L	No	53	B
243	Yucca Valley	360.0 µg/L	No	7	A-
244	Kerman	360.0 µg/L	No	13	B
245	Parlier	360.0 µg/L	No	14	A-
246	Rancho Cucamonga	350.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
247	Healdsburg	350.0 µg/L	No	12	B+
248	Mckinleyville	348.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
249	Yucaipa	340.0 µg/L	No	9	C+
250	Avenal	340.0 µg/L	No	35	B
251	South Lake Tahoe	330.0 µg/L	No	15	C
252	Upland	330.0 µg/L	No	4	B+
253	Monrovia	330.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
254	Oakland	320.0 µg/L	No	13	B
255	Pittsburg	320.0 µg/L	No	0	A
256	Ukiah	320.0 µg/L	No	14	C+
257	South Pasadena	320.0 µg/L	No	5	A
258	San Jacinto	320.0 µg/L	No	9	B
259	Temescal Valley	320.0 µg/L	No	2	A
260	Coalinga	320.0 µg/L	No	267	D
261	Morro Bay	320.0 µg/L	No	12	A-
262	Clearlake	310.0 µg/L	No	5	B+
263	Oakley	300.0 µg/L	No	60	D
264	Windsor	300.0 µg/L	No	2	A+
265	Montara	296.0 µg/L	No	3	A-
266	Los Osos	286.7 µg/L	No	0	B+
267	Carmichael	280.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
268	Red Bluff	280.0 µg/L	No	23	F
269	Fortuna	279.0 µg/L	No	7	B-
270	Bermuda Dunes	278.0 µg/L	No	0	A+
271	Santa Cruz	260.0 µg/L	No	38	F
272	Beaumont	260.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
273	Rohnert Park	260.0 µg/L	No	21	F
274	Stanford	260.0 µg/L	No	3	A+
275	Boulder Creek	250.0 µg/L	No	119	F
276	Rio Linda	250.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
277	29 Palms	250.0 µg/L	No	3	B
278	Santa Rosa	240.0 µg/L	No	177	F
279	Fairfield	240.0 µg/L	No	7	B-
280	Daly City	240.0 µg/L	No	4	A
281	Palo Alto	240.0 µg/L	No	8	A-
282	Novato	240.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
283	Fair Oaks	240.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
284	El Verano	240.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
285	Millbrae	240.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
286	Farmersville	240.0 µg/L	No	20	B+
287	Corte Madera	210.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
288	Lincoln	210.0 µg/L	No	6	A-
289	Belmont	210.0 µg/L	No	3	A+
290	Banning	200.0 µg/L	No	15	B-
291	American Canyon	200.0 µg/L	No	15	A-
292	Sonoma	200.0 µg/L	No	5	B-
293	Concord	190.0 µg/L	No	19	B-
294	Antioch	190.0 µg/L	No	3	A
295	Martinez	180.0 µg/L	No	0	A
296	Galt	180.0 µg/L	No	27	B+
297	Hillsborough	180.0 µg/L	No	7	A
298	Burlingame	170.0 µg/L	No	14	A-
299	Vallejo	170.0 µg/L	No	6	A
300	Napa	170.0 µg/L	No	53	F
301	Benicia	170.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
302	Chico	150.0 µg/L	No	306	F
303	Mammoth Lakes	150.0 µg/L	No	24	B
304	Cottonwood	147.0 µg/L	No	7	B
305	Anderson	144.0 µg/L	No	14	C-
306	San Andreas	140.0 µg/L	No	17	B-
307	Mcfarland	140.0 µg/L	No	42	C+
308	West Sacramento	130.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
309	Cutten	130.0 µg/L	No	5	A+
310	Brooks	120.0 µg/L	No	2	B+
311	Susanville	119.0 µg/L	No	34	A-
312	Pacifica	110.0 µg/L	No	2	A
313	Corcoran	110.0 µg/L	No	3	A
314	Kirkwood	110.0 µg/L	No	0	A
315	Menlo Park	97.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
316	Hanford	92.0 µg/L	No	197	D+
317	Sonora	79.0 µg/L	No	25	D+
318	Half Moon Bay	72.0 µg/L	No	6	A
319	Yuba City	70.0 µg/L	No	24	A-
320	Granite Bay	64.0 µg/L	No	43	B-
321	Shasta Lake 4510007	63.6 µg/L	No	1	A+
322	Orangevale	59.0 µg/L	No	0	A
323	Placerville	55.0 µg/L	No	6	A-
324	Hayward	53.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
325	East Palo Alto	50.5 µg/L	No	8	A
326	Auburn	49.0 µg/L	No	8	A
327	Foster City	48.0 µg/L	No	2	A+
328	Oroville	48.0 µg/L	No	7	C-
329	Crescent City	48.0 µg/L	No	14	C
330	Redwood City	47.0 µg/L	No	10	B+
331	Paradise	46.0 µg/L	No	2	A
332	Folsom	45.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
333	Grass Valley	45.0 µg/L	No	8	A
334	Brownsville	34.9 µg/L	No	0	A-
335	Mendota	31.0 µg/L	No	3	A

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about strontium in California

Is strontium in California tap water harmful?

Strontium at low levels is not considered harmful, but the EPA set a health reference level (HRL) of 1,500 µg/L based on potential bone effects. 19 cities in California exceed this HRL. There is currently no federal MCL for strontium. Children may be more susceptible because strontium can substitute for calcium in developing bones.

How can I remove strontium from my drinking water?

Reverse osmosis and ion exchange (water softener) systems are effective at removing strontium from drinking water. Standard carbon filters are NOT effective. If your water comes from a well in an area with limestone or dolomite geology, consider testing for strontium.

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