Water Service Outages in California by City
The most common health-based drinking water violation in California since 2015 involves contaminant averages over the limit; 968 of 2,812 systems have had at least one violation.
California drinking water record
Busiest year: 2024 (941 violations). Counted by the year the violation period began. Source: EPA SDWIS.
- Community water systems: 2,812 active systems serve about 40,104,392 people. 2,144 of them (76%) serve 3,300 people or fewer; 1,965 draw mainly on groundwater and 796 on surface water.
- Health-based violations since 2015: 6,754, at 968 systems (34% of all systems). That share is 28th of 50 states (1 = lowest).
- Most common problems: contaminant averages over the limit (4,326); contaminant readings over the limit (1,334); surface water treatment (159). Source: EPA SDWIS
- Largest system: Los Angeles-City, Dept. of Water & Power, about 3,875,566 people, with 2 health-based violations since 2015. Source: EPA SDWIS
- Housing age: the median California home was built in 1976 (US 1980). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)
- Storm damage to water service: NOAA storm narratives mention water mains, boil water notices or lost water service in 7 episodes in California since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- September 27, 2025, San Bernardino (flash flood): “Flash flooding damaged a water main in Yucca Valley, knocking out water service to part of the town.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- September 12, 2022, San Bernardino (flash flood): “This inundated the Banning Water Plant and pushed mud, rocks and logs onto roads.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
| System | People served | Main source | Health violations since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-City, Dept. of Water & Power | 3,875,566 | Surface water | 2 |
| East Bay Mud | 1,442,800 | Surface water | 0 |
| San Diego, City Of | 1,385,379 | Surface water | 0 |
| San Jose Water | 1,039,920 | Surface water | 1 |
| Sfpuc City Distribution Division | 848,019 | Bought surface water | 0 |
| Eastern Municipal Wd | 666,581 | Bought surface water | 0 |
Source: EPA SDWIS.
California is 1st of 4 (1 = lowest share). Source: EPA SDWIS.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in California, city by city
20 California cities on this site and the water utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our water service outage guide.
- Los Angeles Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
- San Diego City of San Diego Public Utilities Department
- San Jose San Jose Water
- San Francisco San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
- Fresno City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities
- Sacramento City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
- Long Beach Long Beach Utilities
- Oakland East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)
- Bakersfield California Water Service (Cal Water)
- Anaheim Anaheim Public Utilities
- Santa Ana City of Santa Ana Water Resources
- Riverside Riverside Public Utilities
- Stockton City of Stockton Municipal Utilities
- Irvine Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD)
- Fremont Alameda County Water District
- San Bernardino San Bernardino Municipal Water Department
- Modesto City of Modesto Utilities
- Moreno Valley Eastern Municipal Water District
- Fontana Fontana Water Company
- Oxnard City of Oxnard Water Division
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water service outage in California right now?
Possibly: 1 report from California on this site in the last 24 hours. Open your city to see where.
How many public water systems are in California?
EPA records list 2,812 active community water systems in California, serving about 40,104,392 people. 76% serve 3,300 people or fewer.
How common are drinking water violations in California?
Since 2015, 968 of 2,812 community water systems in California (34%) have had at least one health-based violation, 6,754 in total.
What is the largest water system in California?
Los Angeles-City, Dept. of Water & Power, which EPA records list as serving about 3,875,566 people.
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
Cities in California with Water Service Outages Information
Anaheim
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 346,824
Anaheim Public Utilities
Bakersfield
1 report in the last 24 hours · pop. 384,145
California Water Service (Cal Water)
Fontana
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 208,393
Fontana Water Company
Fremont
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 230,504
Alameda County Water District
Fresno
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 542,107
City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities
Irvine
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 307,670
Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD)
Long Beach
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 462,257
Long Beach Utilities
Los Angeles
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 3,898,747
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
Modesto
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 218,464
City of Modesto Utilities
Moreno Valley
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 208,634
Eastern Municipal Water District
Oakland
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 433,031
East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)
Oxnard
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 202,063
City of Oxnard Water Division
Riverside
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 314,998
Riverside Public Utilities
Sacramento
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 524,943
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
San Bernardino
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 222,101
San Bernardino Municipal Water Department
San Diego
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 1,423,851
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department
San Francisco
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 873,965
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Santa Ana
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 332,318
City of Santa Ana Water Resources
Stockton
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 310,496
City of Stockton Municipal Utilities