The Water Map

Los Angeles Microplastic Data

Why There's Zero Public Data on Microplastics in LA Water

Your annual water quality report says your water is “safe.” But that report is completely silent on microplastics. Here's why.

No one is required to test your water for microplastics

Other methods cost $598+ for the same test

Fluorescence Microscopy
EPA · NOAA · NIST Protocols
Nile Red Staining Method
41 samples tested

The Cost of Independent Testing

$500–$1,200

The typical cost for a certified laboratory microplastic water test — proving that this data is not being generated by the public themselves.

Expert InsightLicensed Plumber
“I'm a plumber in the LA area. 99% of plumbers use PEX (Poly Ethylene Crosslink) piping to re-pipe old houses. The oxidants in the water — chlorine, chloramine — cause extreme degradation, and the pipes literally release parts of themselves into the water. This is accelerated 10 fold on hot water.”

u/Disastrous-Number-88 — Licensed plumber, LA/OC/SD

Open Source Data

LA Microplastic Test Results

Real particle counts from 41 samples tested across Los Angeles. This data is free to use under CC BY 4.0.

NeighborhoodDateParticle CountLevelFilter
Ocean Park3/29/20266/100mlModeratenylon 0.22µm
Encinitas3/27/20266/100mlModeratenylon 0.22µm
Encinitas3/27/202621/100mlHighnylon 0.22µm
Brentwood3/27/202612/100mlModeratenylon 0.22µm
Simi Valley3/26/20262/100mlLownylon .22um
Simi Valley3/26/202614/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Ocean Park3/25/20269/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Ocean Park3/25/20268/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Pacific Palisades3/11/202610/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Pacific Palisades3/11/202617/100mlHighnylon .22um
Newport Beach3/9/202615/100mlModeratenylon .22
Crenshaw3/7/202631/100mlHighnylon .22um
Crenshaw3/7/202613/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Duarte3/4/20260/100mlLownylon .22um
Duarte3/4/20269/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Fox Hills3/4/20262/100mlLownylon .22um
Fox Hills3/4/20265/100mlLownylon .22um
Pasadena Council District 73/4/202632/100mlHighnylon .22um
Pasadena Council District 73/4/202627/100mlHighnylon .22um
Daly City3/3/202623/100mlHighnylon .22um
Daly City3/3/20266/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Culver City3/2/202611/100mlModeratenylon .22um
Culver City3/2/202622/100mlHighnylon .22um
Palm Springs2/16/202652/100mlVery Highnylon .22µm
Santa Monica1/27/20261/100mlLownylon .22µm
Brentwood1/27/20261/100mlLownylon .22µm
Westwood1/27/20260/100mlLownylon .22µm
West LA1/27/20266/100mlModeratenylon .22µm
Marina Del Rey1/27/20262/100mlLownylon .22µm
Santa Monica1/27/20263/100mlLownylon .22µm
Santa Monica1/27/202617/100mlHighnylon .22µm
Santa Monica1/27/202611/100mlModeratenylon .22µm
West LA1/27/20269/100mlModeratenylon .22µm
Marina Del Rey1/27/202626/100mlHighnylon .22µm
Marina Del Rey1/27/202612/100mlModerateglass 1.6µm
Venice1/26/202616/100mlHighPCTE .20µm
Santa Monica1/26/20267/100mlModeratePCTE .20µm
Santa Monica1/26/202622/100mlHighPCTE .20µm
West LA1/25/202614/100mlModeratenylon .20µm
La Jolla1/17/20265/100mlLowglass 1.6µm
Mar Vista1/1/20264/100mlLowglass 1.6µm
Low (0–5)
Moderate (6–15)
High (16–50)
Very High (50+)

Data updated January 2026. Particle counts measured via fluorescence microscopy with Nile Red staining.

LA Contamination Map

Click any dot to see the actual microscope image from that location.

Locations are approximate to protect privacy. Click dots for details.

Browse by Neighborhood

Santa MonicaVeniceMarina Del ReyWest LAMar VistaWestwoodCulver CityPacific PalisadesSilver LakeEcho ParkHighland ParkLos FelizEagle RockAtwater VillagePasadenaGlendaleHollywoodKoreatownBurbank

Add Your Neighborhood

Find out what's in your tap water

We mail you a sterile glass vial. You fill it from your tap. We send back high-res microscopy images and a particle count within 48 hours.

Free return shippingResults in 48 hoursReal microscopy images

The Three Data Gaps

Understanding why microplastic contamination remains invisible to LA residents

1. Missing from Consumer Confidence Reports

The Truth

Every year, LA utilities must mail residents a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) detailing regulated contaminants like Lead, Arsenic, Copper, Chlorine, and E. coli. But microplastics have no federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) — so they are excluded from these standard public reports.

The Gap

Your neighbors receive a report saying their water is 'Safe,' but that report is completely silent on microplastics.

2. No Neighborhood-Level Data

The Truth

Academic studies usually take a few dozen samples from treatment plants, not from individual kitchen taps across the city. There is no granular, zip-code-level map where a resident can look up microplastic levels in Silver Lake vs. Santa Monica.

The Gap

We're mapping the last mile — the aging pipes in people's actual homes — data that truly does not exist publicly.

3. California's Data Isn't Public

The Truth

California is the only state actively working on defining how to test for microplastics, but they are in the 'Monitoring Order' phase (2022–2025), not the 'Public Map' phase. Even if the state has raw data in government spreadsheets, it is not accessible or understandable to consumers.

The Gap

We're making the data visible and accessible — not buried in technical reports.

The Bottom Line

“The City tests for lead. Nobody tests for microplastics. There is currently zero public data on contamination in our specific neighborhoods.”

This is factually accurate regarding consumer-accessible data at the neighborhood level. You cannot go to a government website right now and see a map of microplastics in LA zip codes.

CCRs omit microplastics — no federal requirement means they're legally absent from public mailings.

State programs collect data but don't publish it — functionally inaccessible public data.

No open ZIP-level map exists — granular public data equals zero.

Independent lab tests cost $500–$1,200 — preventing widespread self-testing.

Sources & References

EPA's official list of regulated contaminants includes no entry for microplastics.

EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, 2024

The LADWP 2024 Water Quality Report lists zero mentions of 'microplastics.'

LADWP 2024 Water Quality Report (CCR)

California's Microplastics Drinking Water Testing Program is still in data collection phase.

State Water Resources Control Board, 2024

Independent microplastic testing costs $500–$1,200 per sample.

Eurofins, ALS, SGS Environmental Testing Labs, 2025

Academic Reference: “Occurrence of Microplastics in California Drinking Water,” Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2023

See What's in Your Water

Get your own high-res microscopy results — and add your neighborhood to LA's first microplastic map.

20 neighborhoods mappedGoal: 100

Help us build the first complete map of LA

Other methods cost $598+ for the same analysis

Free return shippingResults in 48 hoursReal microscope images of your water