Vanadium Contamination

Vanadium in California Drinking Water

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

331

Cities Tested

Over HA

20%

% Over HA

13.34 µg/L

State Avg

▲ 15% vs national

vs National

624

Health Violations

Analysis

Vanadium in California: what the data shows

California has 331 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 13.34 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 331 cities

→ ▲ 15% above national rate (worse)

National avg

179 of 3322 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	Vacaville	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	26	F
43	Palmdale	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	15	C+
44	Madera	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	564	D
45	Beaumont	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	2	A-
46	Desert Hot Springs	31.00 µg/L	Over HA	4	A
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	Bakersfield	25.00 µg/L	Over HA	690	F
59	Rancho Cucamonga	25.00 µg/L	Over HA	0	B+
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	Morgan Hill	6.30 µg/L	No	92	F
153	Lomita	6.30 µg/L	No	1	A-
154	Glendora	6.10 µg/L	No	0	A-
155	Westlake Village	6.10 µg/L	No	8	F
156	Santa Clara	5.90 µg/L	No	5	B
157	Yucca Valley	5.90 µg/L	No	7	A-
158	Costa Mesa	5.80 µg/L	No	2	A-
159	Watsonville	5.80 µg/L	No	74	F
160	Pacific Grove	5.60 µg/L	No	15	B-
161	Norco	5.60 µg/L	No	39	F
162	Shasta Lake 4510007	5.56 µg/L	No	1	A+
163	Goleta	5.50 µg/L	No	11	B
164	San Luis Obispo	5.40 µg/L	No	27	F
165	Cudahy	5.40 µg/L	No	3	B+
166	Apple Valley	5.30 µg/L	No	57	D
167	Hawthorne	5.20 µg/L	No	3	B
168	Santa Ana	5.20 µg/L	No	8	C
169	Pomona	5.20 µg/L	No	6	C+
170	Sunnyvale	5.20 µg/L	No	3	A
171	Orange	5.20 µg/L	No	3	B
172	Santa Fe Springs	5.20 µg/L	No	1	B+
173	La Verne	5.20 µg/L	No	6	B+
174	Port Hueneme	5.20 µg/L	No	0	B+
175	Montara	5.18 µg/L	No	3	A-
176	La Habra	5.10 µg/L	No	0	A-
177	Gilroy	5.10 µg/L	No	28	C+
178	Rowland Heights	5.10 µg/L	No	0	B+
179	Altadena	5.00 µg/L	No	2	B+
180	Grover Beach	5.00 µg/L	No	34	F
181	Buena Park	4.90 µg/L	No	1	B+
182	Inglewood	4.90 µg/L	No	3	A-
183	Monrovia	4.90 µg/L	No	0	B+
184	Monterey Park	4.80 µg/L	No	1	B
185	La Crescenta	4.80 µg/L	No	3	B+
186	Redding	4.75 µg/L	No	49	F
187	Lemoore	4.70 µg/L	No	112	D
188	Lakeside	4.70 µg/L	No	0	A-
189	Carpinteria	4.70 µg/L	No	5	A
190	San Bernardin0	4.60 µg/L	No	0	A-
191	Placentia	4.60 µg/L	No	0	B+
192	Glendale	4.50 µg/L	No	0	A-
193	Milpitas	4.50 µg/L	No	2	A-
194	Calabasas	4.50 µg/L	No	14	A-
195	Newport Beach	4.50 µg/L	No	4	B+
196	Pittsburg	4.50 µg/L	No	0	A
197	Fremont	4.40 µg/L	No	3	B-
198	Santa Barbara	4.40 µg/L	No	52	F
199	Walnut	4.40 µg/L	No	1	A-
200	Irvine	4.30 µg/L	No	84	F
201	Garden Grove	4.30 µg/L	No	2	B
202	Westminster	4.30 µg/L	No	2	A-
203	Laguna Hills	4.20 µg/L	No	1	B+
204	Corcoran	4.20 µg/L	No	3	A
205	Los Angeles	4.18 µg/L	No	94	F
206	Lynwood	4.10 µg/L	No	0	B+
207	Lakewood	4.10 µg/L	No	1	A-
208	Arroyo Grande	4.10 µg/L	No	93	F
209	Fairfield	4.00 µg/L	No	7	B-
210	Atascadero	4.00 µg/L	No	1	B
211	American Canyon	4.00 µg/L	No	15	A-
212	Grand Terrace	4.00 µg/L	No	1	B
213	Vallejo	3.90 µg/L	No	6	A
214	Montebello	3.90 µg/L	No	5	B
215	Oxnard	3.80 µg/L	No	49	F
216	Napa	3.80 µg/L	No	53	F
217	Huntington Park	3.80 µg/L	No	3	B+
218	Benicia	3.80 µg/L	No	1	A-
219	Cutten	3.80 µg/L	No	5	A+
220	Santa Maria	3.70 µg/L	No	36	F
221	Simi Valley	3.70 µg/L	No	3	A
222	Pleasanton	3.60 µg/L	No	3	B-
223	West Sacramento	3.60 µg/L	No	1	B+
224	Trabuco Canyon	3.60 µg/L	No	2	A-
225	Laguna Beach	3.50 µg/L	No	2	B
226	Fountain Valley	3.50 µg/L	No	0	A
227	Vernon	3.50 µg/L	No	3	A
228	Antioch	3.40 µg/L	No	3	A
229	Morro Bay	3.40 µg/L	No	12	A-
230	Avenal	3.40 µg/L	No	35	B
231	Bell Gardens	3.40 µg/L	No	0	B
232	Baldwin Park	3.30 µg/L	No	1	A
233	Bellflower	3.30 µg/L	No	0	B+
234	Martinez	3.30 µg/L	No	0	A
235	Norwalk	3.30 µg/L	No	1	A-
236	Rancho Santa Margarita	3.20 µg/L	No	0	A
237	Torrance	3.20 µg/L	No	0	A-
238	South Gate	3.20 µg/L	No	2	B
239	Seal Beach	3.20 µg/L	No	0	A-
240	San Clemente	3.10 µg/L	No	3	A-
241	Brea	3.10 µg/L	No	0	A
242	Manhattan Beach	3.10 µg/L	No	1	A-
243	La Palma	3.10 µg/L	No	0	A-
244	Cerritos	3.00 µg/L	No	0	B
245	Long Beach	2.90 µg/L	No	2	C
246	Concord	2.90 µg/L	No	19	B-
247	Compton	2.90 µg/L	No	8	B
248	Hamilton City	2.86 µg/L	No	0	A+
249	Paramount	2.80 µg/L	No	0	A-
250	Beverly Hills	2.80 µg/L	No	18	B
251	San Juan Capistrano	2.80 µg/L	No	5	B+
252	Paradise	2.80 µg/L	No	2	A
253	Lake Forest	2.70 µg/L	No	38	B-
254	Oakley	2.70 µg/L	No	60	D
255	Coalinga	2.70 µg/L	No	267	D
256	Cupertino	2.70 µg/L	No	3	A+
257	Vista	2.60 µg/L	No	0	A-
258	Imperial	2.60 µg/L	No	36	C+
259	El Segundo	2.60 µg/L	No	0	A-
260	La Mesa	2.50 µg/L	No	0	A+
261	Spring Valley	2.50 µg/L	No	4	B
262	Encinitas	2.50 µg/L	No	55	F
263	Calexico	2.50 µg/L	No	7	B-
264	Point Mugu	2.50 µg/L	No	11	A-
265	Oakland	2.40 µg/L	No	13	B
266	Oceanside	2.40 µg/L	No	2	A-
267	Santa Monica	2.40 µg/L	No	0	B
268	El Centro	2.40 µg/L	No	14	C-
269	Poway	2.30 µg/L	No	0	A-
270	Santee	2.20 µg/L	No	14	B
271	Rancho Santa Fe	2.20 µg/L	No	3	A-
272	Fallbrook	2.10 µg/L	No	3	A
273	Azusa	1.90 µg/L	No	2	B+
274	Ramona	1.90 µg/L	No	36	C
275	Ukiah	1.80 µg/L	No	14	C+
276	Santa Paula	1.80 µg/L	No	5	A-
277	Carlsbad	1.70 µg/L	No	0	A+
278	Firebaugh	1.60 µg/L	No	89	D
279	Healdsburg	1.40 µg/L	No	12	B+
280	Ventura	1.30 µg/L	No	21	D+
281	Sonora	1.30 µg/L	No	25	D+
282	Signal Hill	1.30 µg/L	No	6	B
283	Kirkwood	1.30 µg/L	No	0	A
284	Auburn	1.20 µg/L	No	8	A
285	Yuba City	1.20 µg/L	No	24	A-
286	Boulder Creek	1.20 µg/L	No	119	F
287	Arcata	1.20 µg/L	No	3	A
288	Oak View	1.20 µg/L	No	12	B+
289	Fillmore	1.20 µg/L	No	13	B-
290	Orangevale	1.20 µg/L	No	0	A
291	Santa Rosa	1.10 µg/L	No	177	F
292	Hanford	1.10 µg/L	No	197	D+
293	Corte Madera	1.00 µg/L	No	0	A-
294	Novato	1.00 µg/L	No	3	B+
295	Granite Bay	1.00 µg/L	No	43	B-
296	Windsor	1.00 µg/L	No	2	A+
297	San Andreas	0.91 µg/L	No	17	B-
298	San Diego	0.84 µg/L	No	43	F
299	Mendota	0.82 µg/L	No	3	A
300	Eureka	0.77 µg/L	No	3	A-
301	Galt	0.76 µg/L	No	27	B+
302	Placerville	0.72 µg/L	No	6	A-
303	Menlo Park	0.72 µg/L	No	2	A-
304	Santa Cruz	0.71 µg/L	No	38	F
305	San Marcos	0.70 µg/L	No	27	D
306	Mckinleyville	0.70 µg/L	No	2	A-
307	Clearlake	0.61 µg/L	No	5	B+
308	Palo Alto	0.60 µg/L	No	8	A-
309	Folsom	0.55 µg/L	No	1	A-
310	Brawley	0.55 µg/L	No	5	A-
311	Brooks	0.55 µg/L	No	2	B+
312	Livermore	0.51 µg/L	No	53	B
313	Belmont	0.50 µg/L	No	3	A+
314	Burlingame	0.48 µg/L	No	14	A-
315	Millbrae	0.45 µg/L	No	1	A-
316	Crescent City	0.45 µg/L	No	14	C
317	Hillsborough	0.45 µg/L	No	7	A
318	Grass Valley	0.40 µg/L	No	8	A
319	Stanford	0.40 µg/L	No	3	A+
320	Brownsville	0.38 µg/L	No	0	A-
321	Escondido	0.30 µg/L	No	10	B
322	Hayward	0.30 µg/L	No	0	A-
323	Redwood City	0.30 µg/L	No	10	B+
324	East Palo Alto	0.30 µg/L	No	8	A
325	Foster City	0.28 µg/L	No	2	A+
326	Half Moon Bay	0.28 µg/L	No	6	A
327	Oroville	0.27 µg/L	No	7	C-
328	Discovery Bay	0.27 µg/L	No	3	A+
329	Fortuna	0.23 µg/L	No	7	B-
330	Valley Center	0.21 µg/L	No	15	F
331	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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