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California Water Quality Rankings & Reports 2026 — 193 cities graded A–F
All 193 cities ranked by water quality score
How California's 193 cities are distributed by water quality grade
137 out of 193 cities meet or exceed a B grade for water quality
Sorted by water quality score from best to worst. Click any city for a detailed water quality report.
| Rank | City | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaheim | 98/100 | A+ |
| 2 | Palm Desert | 97/100 | A+ |
| 3 | San Clemente | 97/100 | A+ |
| #4 | Hanford | 96/100 | A+ |
| #5 | Inglewood | 96/100 | A+ |
| #6 | Lodi | 96/100 | A+ |
| #7 | Monterey Park | 96/100 | A+ |
| #8 | San Diego | 96/100 | A+ |
| #9 | Santa Barbara | 96/100 | A+ |
| #10 | Simi Valley | 96/100 | A+ |
| #11 | Laguna Hills | 95/100 | A+ |
| #12 | Yorba Linda | 95/100 | A+ |
| #13 | Arden-Arcade | 94/100 | A |
| #14 | Santa Rosa | 94/100 | A |
| #15 | Gilroy | 93/100 | A |
| #16 | Hesperia | 93/100 | A |
| #17 | Norwalk | 93/100 | A |
| #18 | Rialto | 93/100 | A |
| #19 | Vallejo | 93/100 | A |
| #20 | Chino | 91/100 | A |
| #21 | Costa Mesa | 91/100 | A |
| #22 | Cypress | 91/100 | A |
| #23 | Milpitas | 91/100 | A |
| #24 | Modesto | 91/100 | A |
| #25 | Escondido | 90/100 | A |
| #26 | Hayward | 90/100 | A |
| #27 | Manhattan Beach | 90/100 | A |
| #28 | Diamond Bar | 89/100 | A- |
| #29 | Eastvale | 89/100 | A- |
| #30 | El Monte | 89/100 | A- |
| #31 | Huntington Park | 89/100 | A- |
| #32 | Paso Robles | 89/100 | A- |
| #33 | Pittsburg | 89/100 | A- |
| #34 | Union City | 89/100 | A- |
| #35 | Highland | 88/100 | A- |
| #36 | Redwood City | 88/100 | A- |
| #37 | Santa Clarita | 88/100 | A- |
| #38 | South Gate | 88/100 | A- |
| #39 | Chino Hills | 87/100 | A- |
| #40 | Citrus Heights | 87/100 | A- |
| #41 | Colton | 87/100 | A- |
| #42 | Fairfield | 87/100 | A- |
| #43 | Fremont | 87/100 | A- |
| #44 | Hemet | 87/100 | A- |
| #45 | Mountain View | 87/100 | A- |
| #46 | Novato | 87/100 | A- |
| #47 | Oxnard | 87/100 | A- |
| #48 | Palo Alto | 87/100 | A- |
| #49 | Rancho Cucamonga | 87/100 | A- |
| #50 | Santa Monica | 87/100 | A- |
| #51 | Carmichael | 86/100 | A- |
| #52 | Cathedral City | 86/100 | A- |
| #53 | Elk Grove | 86/100 | A- |
| #54 | Lake Elsinore | 86/100 | A- |
| #55 | Richmond | 86/100 | A- |
| #56 | Sacramento | 86/100 | A- |
| #57 | San Francisco | 86/100 | A- |
| #58 | San Rafael | 86/100 | A- |
| #59 | Stockton | 86/100 | A- |
| #60 | Visalia | 86/100 | A- |
| #61 | West Covina | 86/100 | A- |
| #62 | West Sacramento | 86/100 | A- |
| #63 | Buena Park | 85/100 | A- |
| #64 | Carson | 85/100 | A- |
| #65 | Downey | 85/100 | A- |
| #66 | Dublin | 85/100 | A- |
| #67 | El Centro | 85/100 | A- |
| #68 | Fountain Valley | 85/100 | A- |
| #69 | Fullerton | 85/100 | A- |
| #70 | Glendale | 85/100 | A- |
| #71 | La Mesa | 85/100 | A- |
| #72 | Lakewood | 85/100 | A- |
| #73 | Livermore | 85/100 | A- |
| #74 | Lynwood | 85/100 | A- |
| #75 | Menifee | 85/100 | A- |
| #76 | Napa | 85/100 | A- |
| #77 | Oceanside | 85/100 | A- |
| #78 | Palmdale | 85/100 | A- |
| #79 | Rosemead | 85/100 | A- |
| #80 | Torrance | 85/100 | A- |
| #81 | Turlock | 85/100 | A- |
| #82 | Upland | 85/100 | A- |
| #83 | Walnut Creek | 85/100 | A- |
| #84 | Yucaipa | 85/100 | A- |
| #85 | Alhambra | 84/100 | B+ |
| #86 | Glendora | 84/100 | B+ |
| #87 | Hawthorne | 84/100 | B+ |
| #88 | La Mirada | 84/100 | B+ |
| #89 | Long Beach | 84/100 | B+ |
| #90 | Placentia | 84/100 | B+ |
| #91 | Rancho Cordova | 84/100 | B+ |
| #92 | Rancho Santa Margarita | 84/100 | B+ |
| #93 | San Ramon | 84/100 | B+ |
| #94 | Westminster | 84/100 | B+ |
| #95 | Whittier | 84/100 | B+ |
| #96 | Yuba City | 84/100 | B+ |
| #97 | Apple Valley | 83/100 | B+ |
| #98 | Camarillo | 83/100 | B+ |
| #99 | Covina | 83/100 | B+ |
| #100 | Redding | 83/100 | B+ |
| #101 | Redondo Beach | 83/100 | B+ |
| #102 | Salinas | 83/100 | B+ |
| #103 | Temecula | 83/100 | B+ |
| #104 | Tracy | 83/100 | B+ |
| #105 | Tulare | 83/100 | B+ |
| #106 | Vista | 83/100 | B+ |
| #107 | Chico | 82/100 | B+ |
| #108 | Chula Vista | 82/100 | B+ |
| #109 | Clovis | 82/100 | B+ |
| #110 | Daly City | 82/100 | B+ |
| #111 | Danville | 82/100 | B+ |
| #112 | Riverside | 82/100 | B+ |
| #113 | San Luis Obispo | 82/100 | B+ |
| #114 | Baldwin Park | 81/100 | B+ |
| #115 | Fontana | 81/100 | B+ |
| #116 | Irvine | 81/100 | B+ |
| #117 | La Habra | 81/100 | B+ |
| #118 | Laguna Niguel | 81/100 | B+ |
| #119 | Ontario | 81/100 | B+ |
| #120 | Pasadena | 81/100 | B+ |
| #121 | San Mateo | 81/100 | B+ |
| #122 | Santee | 81/100 | B+ |
| #123 | South San Francisco | 81/100 | B+ |
| #124 | Thousand Oaks | 81/100 | B+ |
| #125 | Burbank | 80/100 | B+ |
| #126 | Folsom | 80/100 | B+ |
| #127 | Pico Rivera | 80/100 | B+ |
| #128 | Sunnyvale | 80/100 | B+ |
| #129 | Aliso Viejo | 79/100 | B |
| #130 | Cupertino | 79/100 | B |
| #131 | Victorville | 79/100 | B |
| #132 | Paramount | 78/100 | B |
| #133 | El Cajon | 77/100 | B |
| #134 | Newport Beach | 77/100 | B |
| #135 | Corona | 76/100 | B |
| #136 | Murrieta | 75/100 | B |
| #137 | Porterville | 75/100 | B |
| #138 | Fresno | 74/100 | B- |
| #139 | Pomona | 74/100 | B- |
| #140 | Rocklin | 74/100 | B- |
| #141 | Azusa | 73/100 | B- |
| #142 | Berkeley | 73/100 | B- |
| #143 | Los Angeles | 73/100 | B- |
| #144 | Rancho Palos Verdes | 73/100 | B- |
| #145 | Roseville | 73/100 | B- |
| #146 | Brentwood | 72/100 | B- |
| #147 | Compton | 72/100 | B- |
| #148 | Davis | 72/100 | B- |
| #149 | San Leandro | 72/100 | B- |
| #150 | Vacaville | 72/100 | B- |
| #151 | Bellflower | 71/100 | B- |
| #152 | Jurupa Valley | 71/100 | B- |
| #153 | Manteca | 71/100 | B- |
| #154 | Montebello | 71/100 | B- |
| #155 | Palm Springs | 71/100 | B- |
| #156 | Petaluma | 71/100 | B- |
| #157 | Santa Maria | 71/100 | B- |
| #158 | Tustin | 70/100 | B- |
| #159 | Gardena | 69/100 | C+ |
| #160 | Huntington Beach | 69/100 | C+ |
| #161 | Merced | 69/100 | C+ |
| #162 | Moreno Valley | 69/100 | C+ |
| #163 | National City | 69/100 | C+ |
| #164 | Poway | 69/100 | C+ |
| #165 | Santa Cruz | 69/100 | C+ |
| #166 | Arcadia | 68/100 | C+ |
| #167 | Bakersfield | 68/100 | C+ |
| #168 | Cerritos | 68/100 | C+ |
| #169 | Concord | 68/100 | C+ |
| #170 | Lake Forest | 68/100 | C+ |
| #171 | Oakland | 68/100 | C+ |
| #172 | Perris | 68/100 | C+ |
| #173 | Pleasanton | 68/100 | C+ |
| #174 | Santa Ana | 68/100 | C+ |
| #175 | Watsonville | 68/100 | C+ |
| #176 | Delano | 67/100 | C+ |
| #177 | Madera | 67/100 | C+ |
| #178 | Carlsbad | 66/100 | C+ |
| #179 | Orange | 66/100 | C+ |
| #180 | Antioch | 65/100 | C+ |
| #181 | Redlands | 63/100 | C |
| #182 | Lancaster | 58/100 | C- |
| #183 | Encinitas | 56/100 | C- |
| #184 | Mission Viejo | 56/100 | C- |
| #185 | Garden Grove | 54/100 | D |
| #186 | Santa Clara | 52/100 | D |
| #187 | Woodland | 50/100 | D |
| #188 | San Buenaventura | 49/100 | F |
| #189 | Indio | 47/100 | F |
| #190 | San Jose | 47/100 | F |
| #191 | San Bernardino | 45/100 | F |
| #192 | San Marcos | 45/100 | F |
| #193 | Alameda | 44/100 | F |
The best water quality in California is found in Anaheim with a score of 98/100 and a grade of A+. This puts Anaheim among the top-performing cities in the country for drinking water safety.
The most concerning water quality is in Alameda scoring 44/100 with a grade of F. Residents may want to consider home water testing and filtration options.
9 cities with D or F grades:
The statewide average score is 80/100, which is 8 points above the national average of 72/100. A strong majority (75%) of California cities exceed the national average, indicating generally good water infrastructure across the state.
9 California cities have a D or F grade. Residents in those areas — and anyone wanting extra protection — should consider a certified water filter that removes the specific contaminants found in California water systems.
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Anaheim has the best water quality in California with a score of 98/100 and a grade of A+. This score is based on contaminant levels, EPA compliance history, and infrastructure quality. Anaheim ranks among the top cities nationally for water quality.
Water quality varies across California. The state average score is 80/100. 71% of California cities have good water quality (grade B or better). However, 9 cities have water quality concerns with a grade of D or F. Residents in those areas should consider water testing and filtration. Always check your specific city's water quality report for the most accurate local information.
Of the 193 cities tracked in California, 9 cities have a D or F grade, indicating significant water quality concerns. An additional 26 cities fall in the C range, suggesting moderate issues. 145 out of 193 cities (75%) score above the national average of 72/100. Residents concerned about their water quality can check their city's detailed report for specific contaminant information.
This page serves as a comprehensive water quality report for all 193 California cities, compiled from EPA contaminant data and compliance records. Each city link provides an individual water quality report with safety grade, top contaminants, and infrastructure assessment. For official Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR), contact your local water utility — federal law requires all community water systems to deliver an annual CCR to customers. The California state environmental agency and the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) also publish official water quality data.
State water quality summary and key statistics
Top 20 cities with the cleanest water
Top-ranked cities nationwide
Cities with the most concerning water
Compare water quality across all 50 states
Side-by-side water quality comparison