Santa Cruz Water Quality Report
9 cities ranked · Average grade: C+ · California
Avg Score
69.3
Cities Ranked
9
Health Violations
8
PFAS Detected
6
69.3
County avg score
9
Cities ranked
56%
A or B grade
33%
D or F grade
8
Health violations
6
PFAS detected
Grade Distribution
How Santa Cruz cities scored
A
3
33%
Excellent
B
2
22%
Good
C
1
11%
Fair
D
0
0%
Poor
F
3
33%
Failing
Comparison
County vs California average
▼ 7.2 pts below state average
City Map
Water quality across Santa Cruz
Each dot is a city, colored by grade. Click any city to view its full report.
Highlights
Top & bottom cities in Santa Cruz
County context
1
Superfund site in Santa Cruz
0
lbs/yr to surface water · top 10 TRI facilities
Industrial pollution
Top industrial polluters in Santa Cruz
Industrial polluters nearby
Facilities reporting the most surface-water releases in Santa Cruz, 2023.
Total reported releases to surface water: 0 lbs
| Facility | Top chemical | To surface water (lbs/yr) |
|---|---|---|
GRANITE ROCK CO SANTA CRUZ CON SANTA CRUZ, CA95060 | Lead | 0 |
FELTON QUARRY FELTON, CA95018 | — | — |
Source: EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) 2023
Superfund sites
Superfund sites in Santa Cruz
Superfund sites nearby
Federally tracked hazardous-waste sites within Santa Cruz on the EPA National Priorities List.
- WATKINS JOHNSON CO STEWART DIVISION PLANT
Source: EPA Superfund National Priorities List
Full Rankings
All 9 cities in Santa Cruz
| # | City | Grade | Score | Score | Population | Violations | Issues |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soquel | A | 94.5 | 41K | 2 | Health | |
| 2 | La Selva Beach | A | 92.9 | 778 | 16 | Unresolved | |
| 3 | Aptos | A- | 88.2 | 4K | 58 | Health Unresolved | |
| 4 | Mount Hermon | B+ | 83.5 | 1K | 5 | Health Unresolved | |
| 5 | Scotts Valley | B- | 73.4 | 13K | 77 | Health Unresolved | |
| 6 | Felton | C | 63.3 | 1K | 87 | Health Unresolved | |
| 7 | Boulder Creek | F | 43.5 | 26K | 192 | Health Unresolved | |
| 8 | Santa Cruz | F | 43.1 | 97K | 152 | Health Unresolved | |
| 9 | Watsonville | F | 41.4 | 68K | 229 | Health PFAS Unresolved |