Vanadium Contamination

Vanadium in California Drinking Water

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

329

Cities Tested

Over HA

20%

% Over HA

13.40 µg/L

State Avg

▲ 15% vs national

vs National

620

Health Violations

Analysis

Vanadium in California: what the data shows

California has 329 cities with vanadium data from the EPA's UCMR 3 program (2013–2015). Vanadium was detected above the 21 µg/L EPA short-term health advisory in 67 of those cities. The state average max detected level is 13.40 µg/L. Vanadium occurs naturally in groundwater, particularly in the western United States where it leaches from volcanic rock and oil shale formations. Industrial sources include steel manufacturing, oil refining, and fossil fuel combustion. There is no federal MCL for vanadium — the EPA established a short-term health advisory of 21 µg/L for a 10 kg child consuming 1 L/day for 10 days. Long-term exposure to elevated vanadium has been associated with kidney effects in animal studies and possible developmental impacts. Reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems are effective at removing vanadium from drinking water.

Comparison

Cities exceeding 21 µg/L EPA short-term HA (no MCL)

California

20%

67 of 329 cities

→ ▲ 15% above national rate (worse)

National avg

179 of 3261 cities

City Map

Vanadium data across California

Each dot is a city with UCMR 3 vanadium testing data. Cities where vanadium exceeds the 21 µg/L EPA short-term health advisory are highlighted. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by vanadium level in California

Highest Vanadium levels (µg/L)

All Cities

All California cities ranked by vanadium level

#	City	Level	Over HA?	Violations	Grade
1	Temecula	110.00 µg/L	Over HA	12	C+
2	Ripon	94.00 µg/L	Over HA	10	A-
3	Banning	92.00 µg/L	Over HA	15	B-
4	Sacramento	85.00 µg/L	Over HA	425	F
5	Tulare	85.00 µg/L	Over HA	61	C-
6	Victorville	77.00 µg/L	Over HA	1	B+
7	Fresno	71.00 µg/L	Over HA	523	F
8	Hemet	68.00 µg/L	Over HA	31	B-
9	Kerman	65.00 µg/L	Over HA	13	B
10	Arvin	63.00 µg/L	Over HA	81	C+
11	Yucaipa	59.00 µg/L	Over HA	9	C+
12	Paso Robles	58.00 µg/L	Over HA	42	F
13	Turlock	57.00 µg/L	Over HA	16	B-
14	Reedley	57.00 µg/L	Over HA	12	B-
15	Modesto	55.00 µg/L	Over HA	76	D
16	Delano	55.00 µg/L	Over HA	67	B
17	Manteca	54.00 µg/L	Over HA	39	B-
18	Kingsburg	54.00 µg/L	Over HA	17	B
19	Rio Linda	52.00 µg/L	Over HA	2	A-
20	Dinuba	52.00 µg/L	Over HA	24	A-
21	Fort Irwin	51.00 µg/L	Over HA	60	B+
22	Clovis	50.00 µg/L	Over HA	221	F
23	Mcfarland	50.00 µg/L	Over HA	42	C+
24	Hesperia	48.00 µg/L	Over HA	2	B
25	Arcadia	48.00 µg/L	Over HA	2	B
26	Lodi	45.00 µg/L	Over HA	16	C+
27	Loma Linda	44.00 µg/L	Over HA	3	A
28	Ridgecrest	43.00 µg/L	Over HA	26	A-
29	Camarillo	42.00 µg/L	Over HA	4	B
30	Ceres	42.00 µg/L	Over HA	129	F
31	Lindsay	40.00 µg/L	Over HA	240	F
32	Atwater	39.00 µg/L	Over HA	3	B+
33	Exeter	38.00 µg/L	Over HA	41	B
34	Alhambra	36.00 µg/L	Over HA	7	A-
35	Palm Desert	36.00 µg/L	Over HA	12	C+
36	Rohnert Park	36.00 µg/L	Over HA	21	F
37	San Jose	35.00 µg/L	Over HA	142	F
38	Downey	35.00 µg/L	Over HA	14	B
39	Stockton	33.00 µg/L	Over HA	261	F
40	Merced	32.00 µg/L	Over HA	9	C+
41	Sanger	32.00 µg/L	Over HA	16	C
42	Palmdale	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	15	C+
43	Madera	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	564	D
44	Beaumont	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	2	A-
45	Desert Hot Springs	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	4	A
46	Vacaville	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	26	F
47	Parlier	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	14	A-
48	Riverbank	30.00 µg/L	Over HA	75	D
49	Elk Grove	29.00 µg/L	Over HA	28	C
50	Coachella	29.00 µg/L	Over HA	11	C-
51	Phelan	29.00 µg/L	Over HA	0	B+
52	Sonoma	28.00 µg/L	Over HA	5	B-
53	Ontario	26.00 µg/L	Over HA	1	B+
54	El Verano	26.00 µg/L	Over HA	0	B+
55	Rosamond	26.00 µg/L	Over HA	205	F
56	Pala	26.00 µg/L	Over HA	30	C-
57	Cottonwood	25.50 µg/L	Over HA	7	B
58	Rancho Cucamonga	25.00 µg/L	Over HA	0	B+
59	Bakersfield	25.00 µg/L	Over HA	690	F
60	Colton	25.00 µg/L	Over HA	5	B-
61	Davis	24.00 µg/L	Over HA	47	B+
62	California City	23.00 µg/L	Over HA	22	A-
63	Indio	22.00 µg/L	Over HA	12	F
64	Quartz Hill	22.00 µg/L	Over HA	1	A-
65	Taft	22.00 µg/L	Over HA	0	A-
66	Rosemead	21.90 µg/L	Over HA	17	C-
67	Nuevo	21.70 µg/L	Over HA	6	B+
68	Lincoln	21.00 µg/L	No	6	A-
69	Wasco	21.00 µg/L	No	26	B+
70	Perris	20.00 µg/L	No	0	A
71	Lake Elsinore	20.00 µg/L	No	8	A
72	Los Banos	19.00 µg/L	No	29	B
73	Shafter	18.00 µg/L	No	25	A-
74	Chowchilla	18.00 µg/L	No	25	A-
75	Red Bluff	18.00 µg/L	No	23	F
76	29 Palms	18.00 µg/L	No	3	B
77	Livingston	18.00 µg/L	No	29	C-
78	Soledad	17.00 µg/L	No	28	C+
79	Roseville	16.00 µg/L	No	11	B
80	Palm Springs	16.00 µg/L	No	16	B
81	Adelanto	16.00 µg/L	No	13	C
82	Chico	16.00 µg/L	No	306	F
83	Pasadena	15.00 µg/L	No	92	F
84	San Bernardino	15.00 µg/L	No	192	F
85	Woodland	15.00 µg/L	No	52	F
86	Porterville	15.00 µg/L	No	74	F
87	Lompoc	15.00 µg/L	No	18	C
88	Bermuda Dunes	14.20 µg/L	No	0	A+
89	Rialto	14.00 µg/L	No	6	B+
90	Salinas	14.00 µg/L	No	639	F
91	Lathrop	14.00 µg/L	No	44	B
92	Greenfield	14.00 µg/L	No	17	B
93	San Dimas	13.80 µg/L	No	6	B-
94	South Lake Tahoe	13.00 µg/L	No	15	C
95	Redlands	13.00 µg/L	No	2	B
96	Brentwood	13.00 µg/L	No	91	F
97	Carmichael	13.00 µg/L	No	1	B+
98	Oakdale	13.00 µg/L	No	34	C-
99	Patterson	13.00 µg/L	No	35	B+
100	Nipomo	13.00 µg/L	No	1	A
101	Edwards Afb	13.00 µg/L	No	8	A-
102	Fontana	12.00 µg/L	No	0	A-
103	Upland	12.00 µg/L	No	4	B+
104	Montclair	12.00 µg/L	No	0	B+
105	Soquel	12.00 µg/L	No	1	A
106	Farmersville	12.00 µg/L	No	20	B+
107	Mammoth Lakes	12.00 µg/L	No	24	B
108	Covina	11.00 µg/L	No	10	B
109	Rancho Cordova	11.00 µg/L	No	115	F
110	Tracy	11.00 µg/L	No	45	C
111	Citrus Heights	11.00 µg/L	No	2	A
112	Twentynine Palms	11.00 µg/L	No	70	B+
113	Burbank	10.00 µg/L	No	1	A-
114	Marina	10.00 µg/L	No	4	A+
115	San Fernando	10.00 µg/L	No	1	A+
116	Sierra Madre	9.70 µg/L	No	5	A
117	Moorpark	9.60 µg/L	No	1	A-
118	Jurupa Valley	9.50 µg/L	No	62	B
119	Mountain View	9.40 µg/L	No	3	A
120	El Monte	9.30 µg/L	No	79	F
121	Lamont	9.20 µg/L	No	40	B+
122	Petaluma	8.80 µg/L	No	2	B
123	San Bruno	8.80 µg/L	No	0	A+
124	Newhall	8.50 µg/L	No	1	B+
125	Chino Hills	8.50 µg/L	No	2	A
126	South Pasadena	8.40 µg/L	No	5	A
127	Chino	8.30 µg/L	No	9	B
128	Truckee	8.20 µg/L	No	7	A-
129	Susanville	8.17 µg/L	No	34	A-
130	Pico Rivera	8.10 µg/L	No	4	B
131	Fair Oaks	8.10 µg/L	No	0	B+
132	Scotts Valley	8.00 µg/L	No	11	B-
133	Tustin	7.70 µg/L	No	8	B
134	Anderson	7.62 µg/L	No	14	C-
135	San Jacinto	7.60 µg/L	No	9	B
136	Riverside	7.40 µg/L	No	13	C
137	Whittier	7.40 µg/L	No	4	C+
138	Camp Pendleton	7.40 µg/L	No	13	B
139	Hollister	7.40 µg/L	No	132	F
140	Anaheim	7.30 µg/L	No	8	C+
141	Los Osos	7.21 µg/L	No	0	B+
142	Chula Vista	7.20 µg/L	No	1	B+
143	Temescal Valley	6.80 µg/L	No	2	A
144	Fullerton	6.70 µg/L	No	8	B
145	Highland	6.70 µg/L	No	3	B+
146	Daly City	6.50 µg/L	No	4	A
147	Gonzales	6.42 µg/L	No	53	F
148	Huntington Beach	6.40 µg/L	No	5	C-
149	Corona	6.40 µg/L	No	81	D
150	Newman	6.40 µg/L	No	3	A-
151	Thousand Oaks	6.30 µg/L	No	1	A
152	Lomita	6.30 µg/L	No	1	A-
153	Glendora	6.10 µg/L	No	0	A-
154	Westlake Village	6.10 µg/L	No	8	F
155	Santa Clara	5.90 µg/L	No	5	B
156	Yucca Valley	5.90 µg/L	No	7	A-
157	Costa Mesa	5.80 µg/L	No	2	A-
158	Watsonville	5.80 µg/L	No	74	F
159	Pacific Grove	5.60 µg/L	No	15	B-
160	Norco	5.60 µg/L	No	39	F
161	Shasta Lake 4510007	5.56 µg/L	No	1	A+
162	Goleta	5.50 µg/L	No	11	B
163	San Luis Obispo	5.40 µg/L	No	27	F
164	Cudahy	5.40 µg/L	No	3	B+
165	Apple Valley	5.30 µg/L	No	57	D
166	Hawthorne	5.20 µg/L	No	3	B
167	Santa Ana	5.20 µg/L	No	8	C
168	Pomona	5.20 µg/L	No	6	C+
169	Sunnyvale	5.20 µg/L	No	3	A
170	Orange	5.20 µg/L	No	3	B
171	La Verne	5.20 µg/L	No	6	B+
172	Port Hueneme	5.20 µg/L	No	0	B+
173	Santa Fe Springs	5.20 µg/L	No	1	B+
174	Montara	5.18 µg/L	No	3	A-
175	La Habra	5.10 µg/L	No	0	A-
176	Gilroy	5.10 µg/L	No	28	C+
177	Rowland Heights	5.10 µg/L	No	0	B+
178	Altadena	5.00 µg/L	No	2	B+
179	Grover Beach	5.00 µg/L	No	34	F
180	Buena Park	4.90 µg/L	No	1	B+
181	Inglewood	4.90 µg/L	No	3	A-
182	Monrovia	4.90 µg/L	No	0	B+
183	Monterey Park	4.80 µg/L	No	1	B
184	La Crescenta	4.80 µg/L	No	3	B+
185	Redding	4.75 µg/L	No	49	F
186	Lemoore	4.70 µg/L	No	112	D
187	Lakeside	4.70 µg/L	No	0	A-
188	Carpinteria	4.70 µg/L	No	5	A
189	San Bernardin0	4.60 µg/L	No	0	A-
190	Placentia	4.60 µg/L	No	0	B+
191	Glendale	4.50 µg/L	No	0	A-
192	Milpitas	4.50 µg/L	No	2	A-
193	Calabasas	4.50 µg/L	No	14	A-
194	Newport Beach	4.50 µg/L	No	4	B+
195	Pittsburg	4.50 µg/L	No	0	A
196	Fremont	4.40 µg/L	No	3	B-
197	Santa Barbara	4.40 µg/L	No	52	F
198	Walnut	4.40 µg/L	No	1	A-
199	Irvine	4.30 µg/L	No	84	F
200	Garden Grove	4.30 µg/L	No	2	B
201	Westminster	4.30 µg/L	No	2	A-
202	Laguna Hills	4.20 µg/L	No	1	B+
203	Corcoran	4.20 µg/L	No	3	A
204	Los Angeles	4.18 µg/L	No	94	F
205	Lynwood	4.10 µg/L	No	0	B+
206	Lakewood	4.10 µg/L	No	1	A-
207	Arroyo Grande	4.10 µg/L	No	93	F
208	Fairfield	4.00 µg/L	No	7	B-
209	Atascadero	4.00 µg/L	No	1	B
210	American Canyon	4.00 µg/L	No	15	A-
211	Grand Terrace	4.00 µg/L	No	1	B
212	Vallejo	3.90 µg/L	No	6	A
213	Montebello	3.90 µg/L	No	5	B
214	Oxnard	3.80 µg/L	No	49	F
215	Napa	3.80 µg/L	No	53	F
216	Huntington Park	3.80 µg/L	No	3	B+
217	Benicia	3.80 µg/L	No	1	A-
218	Cutten	3.80 µg/L	No	5	A+
219	Santa Maria	3.70 µg/L	No	36	F
220	Simi Valley	3.70 µg/L	No	3	A
221	Pleasanton	3.60 µg/L	No	3	B-
222	West Sacramento	3.60 µg/L	No	1	B+
223	Trabuco Canyon	3.60 µg/L	No	2	A-
224	Laguna Beach	3.50 µg/L	No	2	B
225	Fountain Valley	3.50 µg/L	No	0	A
226	Vernon	3.50 µg/L	No	3	A
227	Antioch	3.40 µg/L	No	3	A
228	Morro Bay	3.40 µg/L	No	12	A-
229	Avenal	3.40 µg/L	No	35	B
230	Bell Gardens	3.40 µg/L	No	0	B
231	Baldwin Park	3.30 µg/L	No	1	A
232	Bellflower	3.30 µg/L	No	0	B+
233	Martinez	3.30 µg/L	No	0	A
234	Norwalk	3.30 µg/L	No	1	A-
235	Rancho Santa Margarita	3.20 µg/L	No	0	A
236	Torrance	3.20 µg/L	No	0	A-
237	South Gate	3.20 µg/L	No	2	B
238	Seal Beach	3.20 µg/L	No	0	A-
239	San Clemente	3.10 µg/L	No	3	A-
240	Brea	3.10 µg/L	No	0	A
241	Manhattan Beach	3.10 µg/L	No	1	A-
242	La Palma	3.10 µg/L	No	0	A-
243	Cerritos	3.00 µg/L	No	0	B
244	Long Beach	2.90 µg/L	No	2	C
245	Concord	2.90 µg/L	No	19	B-
246	Compton	2.90 µg/L	No	8	B
247	Hamilton City	2.86 µg/L	No	0	A+
248	Paramount	2.80 µg/L	No	0	A-
249	Beverly Hills	2.80 µg/L	No	18	B
250	Paradise	2.80 µg/L	No	2	A
251	Lake Forest	2.70 µg/L	No	38	B-
252	Oakley	2.70 µg/L	No	60	D
253	Coalinga	2.70 µg/L	No	267	D
254	Cupertino	2.70 µg/L	No	3	A+
255	Vista	2.60 µg/L	No	0	A-
256	Imperial	2.60 µg/L	No	36	C+
257	El Segundo	2.60 µg/L	No	0	A-
258	La Mesa	2.50 µg/L	No	0	A+
259	Spring Valley	2.50 µg/L	No	4	B
260	Encinitas	2.50 µg/L	No	55	F
261	Calexico	2.50 µg/L	No	7	B-
262	Point Mugu	2.50 µg/L	No	11	A-
263	Oakland	2.40 µg/L	No	13	B
264	Oceanside	2.40 µg/L	No	2	A-
265	Santa Monica	2.40 µg/L	No	0	B
266	El Centro	2.40 µg/L	No	14	C-
267	Poway	2.30 µg/L	No	0	A-
268	Santee	2.20 µg/L	No	14	B
269	Rancho Santa Fe	2.20 µg/L	No	3	A-
270	Fallbrook	2.10 µg/L	No	3	A
271	Azusa	1.90 µg/L	No	2	B+
272	Ramona	1.90 µg/L	No	36	C
273	Ukiah	1.80 µg/L	No	14	C+
274	Santa Paula	1.80 µg/L	No	5	A-
275	Carlsbad	1.70 µg/L	No	0	A+
276	Firebaugh	1.60 µg/L	No	89	D
277	Healdsburg	1.40 µg/L	No	12	B+
278	Ventura	1.30 µg/L	No	21	D+
279	Sonora	1.30 µg/L	No	25	D+
280	Signal Hill	1.30 µg/L	No	6	B
281	Kirkwood	1.30 µg/L	No	0	A
282	Auburn	1.20 µg/L	No	8	A
283	Yuba City	1.20 µg/L	No	24	A-
284	Boulder Creek	1.20 µg/L	No	119	F
285	Arcata	1.20 µg/L	No	3	A
286	Oak View	1.20 µg/L	No	12	B+
287	Fillmore	1.20 µg/L	No	13	B-
288	Orangevale	1.20 µg/L	No	0	A
289	Santa Rosa	1.10 µg/L	No	177	F
290	Hanford	1.10 µg/L	No	197	D+
291	Corte Madera	1.00 µg/L	No	0	A-
292	Novato	1.00 µg/L	No	3	B+
293	Granite Bay	1.00 µg/L	No	43	B-
294	Windsor	1.00 µg/L	No	2	A+
295	San Andreas	0.91 µg/L	No	17	B-
296	San Diego	0.84 µg/L	No	43	F
297	Mendota	0.82 µg/L	No	3	A
298	Eureka	0.77 µg/L	No	3	A-
299	Galt	0.76 µg/L	No	27	B+
300	Placerville	0.72 µg/L	No	6	A-
301	Menlo Park	0.72 µg/L	No	2	A-
302	Santa Cruz	0.71 µg/L	No	38	F
303	San Marcos	0.70 µg/L	No	27	D
304	Mckinleyville	0.70 µg/L	No	2	A-
305	Clearlake	0.61 µg/L	No	5	B+
306	Palo Alto	0.60 µg/L	No	8	A-
307	Folsom	0.55 µg/L	No	1	A-
308	Brawley	0.55 µg/L	No	5	A-
309	Brooks	0.55 µg/L	No	2	B+
310	Livermore	0.51 µg/L	No	53	B
311	Belmont	0.50 µg/L	No	3	A+
312	Burlingame	0.48 µg/L	No	14	A-
313	Millbrae	0.45 µg/L	No	1	A-
314	Crescent City	0.45 µg/L	No	14	C
315	Hillsborough	0.45 µg/L	No	7	A
316	Grass Valley	0.40 µg/L	No	8	A
317	Stanford	0.40 µg/L	No	3	A+
318	Brownsville	0.38 µg/L	No	0	A-
319	Escondido	0.30 µg/L	No	10	B
320	Hayward	0.30 µg/L	No	0	A-
321	Redwood City	0.30 µg/L	No	10	B+
322	East Palo Alto	0.30 µg/L	No	8	A
323	Foster City	0.28 µg/L	No	2	A+
324	Half Moon Bay	0.28 µg/L	No	6	A
325	Oroville	0.27 µg/L	No	7	C-
326	Discovery Bay	0.27 µg/L	No	3	A+
327	Fortuna	0.23 µg/L	No	7	B-
328	Valley Center	0.21 µg/L	No	15	F
329	Pacifica	0.21 µg/L	No	2	A

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about vanadium in California

Is vanadium in California tap water harmful?

Vanadium has no federal MCL. The EPA short-term health advisory is 21 µg/L. 67 cities in California exceed this level. Long-term exposure has been linked to kidney effects in animal studies. Vanadium is most common in groundwater in the western US.

How can I remove vanadium from my drinking water?

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are highly effective at removing vanadium, typically reducing it by 90% or more. Ion exchange systems also work. Standard activated carbon filters are not effective against vanadium. If your water comes from a private well in the western US, consider testing for vanadium.

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