Riverside County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Riverside County, California has about 2,529,933 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 94 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Eastern Municipal WD, serving about 659,923 people from surface water.

✓ 0 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 4 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 12.6 gpg (low confidence)

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

How hard is Riverside County water?

Eastern Municipal WD Estimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidence

12.6 gpg (215 mg/L), very hard

Riverside County: median of 6,384 results from 1474 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ.

Source: Hard Water Map county data, samples through 2023

County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Softener size at 12.6 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 15,082 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 12.6 gpg

Largest water systems in Riverside County

The 6 biggest of 94 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

Eastern Municipal WD

CA3310009 · serves about 659,923 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 2.8 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Riverside, City of

CA3310031 · serves about 302,776 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (3 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFPeA: highest sample 6.7 ppt (4 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 4.1 ppt (2 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFOS: highest sample 4 ppt (1 of 4 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average

EPA ECHO record

Coachella Vwd: Cove Community

CA3310001 · serves about 270,000 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2022-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Elsinore Valley Mwd

CA3310012 · serves about 169,455 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (1 type)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.3 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 7 ppt (2 of 22 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Corona, City of

CA3310037 · serves about 169,380 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (4 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.8 ppb (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 7.6 ppt (2 of 54 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 6.1 ppt (4 of 54 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 3.8 ppt (1 of 54 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 3.3 ppt (1 of 54 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)

EPA ECHO record

Rancho California Water District

CA3310038 · serves about 146,147 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detectionPFAS detected (8 types)

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFOS: highest sample 16 ppt (6 of 77 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFOA: highest sample 11 ppt (8 of 77 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFBA: highest sample 7.8 ppt (4 of 77 samples); no federal limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 7.7 ppt (4 of 77 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 7.3 ppt (5 of 77 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 6.7 ppt (3 of 77 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFHxA: highest sample 6.6 ppt (5 of 77 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHpA: highest sample 3.3 ppt (1 of 77 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.

Test your own tap

These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.

Common questions about Riverside County water

Is tap water in Riverside County safe to drink?

None of the 6 largest systems here have a health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021. Eastern Municipal WD's most recent lead 90th percentile was 2.8 ppb (2023), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

How hard is the water in Riverside County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Riverside County have a median of about 12.6 grains per gallon (215 mg/L, very hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 12.6 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Riverside County water?

4 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, and 2 results were above the level of a federal limit in at least one sample. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Which water system serves my address in Riverside County?

Most homes are served by Eastern Municipal WD or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

More California counties

Sources for this page

Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.