What's in Sunnyvale, CA tap water

26 contaminants were measured in the Sunnyvale, CA water system's 2024 annual report. Each is shown below against its federal limit.

See it on the mapFull source report ↗

Reporting year: 2024
Contaminants measured: 26
Over federal limit: 0
Approaching the limit: 0
Service area: CA
Source: Utility CCR

All within federal limits. Every measured contaminant in this report is below its federal threshold.

Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS

Sunnyvale, CA's drinking water comes from ground water, drawn from 7 sources.

Source

7ground water

HAMILTON · 2
WESTMOOR
SERRA
RAYNOR WELL
+ 2 more

Treatment

0treatment plants

Distribution

0storage units

Also buys water from SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO REGIONAL WATER SYSTEM, and 3 more.

Source: EPA SDWIS facilities inventory. Methodology.

Historical readings · EPA Six-Year Review (2012–2019)

14 historically-detected contaminants in Sunnyvale, CA

About this data

Every U.S. public water system reports compliance-monitoring data to EPA. The Six-Year Review releases the 2012–2019 window as a single dataset — here's what your system reported, year by year. Values shown are the highest detection per analyte per year, compared to the federal MCL.

Contaminant	Worst detection	EPA limit	Years (2012–2019)
TTHM worst: 2014	0.0748 mg/L 94%	0.08 mg/L	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
HAA5 worst: 2016	0.05 mg/L 83%	0.06 mg/L	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
NITRATE worst: 2019	6.46 mg/L within	10 mg/L	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
BARIUM worst: 2012	0.13 mg/L within near national p90	2 mg/L	'12'14'15'18
FLUORIDE worst: 2012	0.24 mg/L within	4 mg/L	'12'13'14'15'18
DBAA worst: 2012	0.013 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
DCAA worst: 2012	0.024 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
TCAA worst: 2012	0.026 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
MBAA worst: 2012	0.0012 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'18'19
MCAA worst: 2012	0.0025 mg/L	—	'12'14'16'18
BROMODICHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012	0.0166 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
BROMOFORM worst: 2012	0.0113 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
CHLOROFORM worst: 2012	0.0401 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE worst: 2012	0.0214 mg/L	—	'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19

PWSID CA4310014 · Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 (2012–2019). Values are the highest detection in each calendar year; non-detect years are omitted. Year tags above show every year with a detection.

Physical & aggregate

Contaminant	Measured	Federal limit	Status
OdorA measure of detectable smell in the water.	1.6AverageValley Water	3MCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— Valley Water, SFPUC, Groundwater Well Valley WaterZone avg1.6range1.4–267% of limit SFPUCZone avgNot detectedrangeNot detected0% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avgNot detectedrangeNot detected0% of limit
Total Dissolved SolidsTotal dissolved solids — the combined content of all dissolved minerals and salts.	427 mg/LAverageGroundwater Well	1000 mg/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— Groundwater Well, Valley Water, SFPUC Groundwater WellPlant avg427 mg/Lrange390–450 mg/L45% of limit Valley WaterZone avg268 mg/Lrange238–298 mg/L30% of limit SFPUCZone avg97 mg/Lrange24–169 mg/L17% of limit
Specific ConductanceA measure of how well water conducts electricity, which tracks dissolved mineral content.	662AverageGroundwater Well	1600MCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— Groundwater Well, Valley Water, SFPUC Groundwater WellPlant avg662range600–70044% of limit Valley WaterZone avg466range414–52233% of limit SFPUCZone avg174range31–31720% of limit
ColorA measure of visible tint in the water.	2AverageValley Water	15MCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— Valley Water, Groundwater Well, SFPUC Valley WaterZone avg2range0–320% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avgNot detectedrangeNot detected0% of limit SFPUCZone avgNot detectedrangeNot detected0% of limit
HardnessA measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium minerals.	290 mg/LAverageGroundwater Well	None set	Detected — no federal limit
+By source (3)— Groundwater Well, Valley Water, SFPUC Groundwater WellPlant avg290 mg/Lrange270–310 mg/L Valley WaterZone avg111 mg/Lrange93–133 mg/L SFPUCZone avg57 mg/Lrange8.4–106 mg/L
pHA measure of how acidic or basic the water is.	7.7AverageValley Water	None set	Detected — no federal limit
+By source (2)— Valley Water, Groundwater Well Valley WaterZone avg7.7range7.5–8 Groundwater WellPlant avg7.5range7.4–7.6
TemperatureThe measured temperature of the water sample.	64AverageGroundwater Well	None set	Detected — no federal limit
TOCTotal organic carbon — a measure of organic material dissolved in the water.	1.6 mg/LAverageValley Water	None set	Detected — no federal limit
+By source (2)— Valley Water, SFPUC Valley WaterZone avg1.6 mg/Lrange1.2–2 mg/L SFPUCZone avg1.5 mg/Lrange1.1–1.8 mg/L
TurbidityA measure of cloudiness from suspended particles in the water.	0.4 NTUAverageSFPUC	None set	Detected — no federal limit
+By source (3)— Groundwater Well, SFPUC, Valley Water Groundwater WellPlant avg0.25 NTUrange0.13–0.38 NTU8% of limit SFPUCZone avg0.2 NTUrange0.1–0.4 NTU Valley WaterZone avgNot detected NTUrange0–0.3 NTU

Metals

Contaminant	Measured	Federal limit	Status
CopperA metal that enters water from corroding household plumbing.	0.234 mg/L90th percentileAt the tap	1.3 mg/LAction level	Within the limit
IronA naturally occurring metal common in groundwater.	20 ug/LAverageSFPUC	300 ug/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— SFPUC, Valley Water, Groundwater Well SFPUCZone avg20 ug/Lrange0–41 ug/L14% of limit Valley WaterZone avgNot detected ug/LrangeNot detected ug/L0% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avgNot detected ug/LrangeNot detected ug/L0% of limit
Chromium, HexavalentHexavalent chromium ('chromium-6') — the more toxic form of chromium.	0.01 ug/LAverageSFPUC	10 ug/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (2)— SFPUC, Valley Water SFPUCZone avg0.01 ug/Lrange0–0.1 ug/L1% of limit Valley WaterZone avgNot detected ug/LrangeNot detected ug/L0% of limit
AluminumA common element sometimes used as a treatment coagulant.	Not detected mg/LAverageValley Water	1 mg/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— SFPUC, Valley Water, Groundwater Well SFPUCZone avgNot detected mg/Lrange0–0.06 mg/L6% of limit Valley WaterZone avgNot detected mg/LrangeNot detected mg/L0% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avgNot detected mg/LrangeNot detected mg/L0% of limit
LeadA toxic metal that leaches into water from old service lines, solder, and plumbing fixtures.	Not detected ug/L90th percentileAt the tap	15 ug/LAction level	None detected
ManganeseA naturally occurring metal from soil and rock.	Not detected ug/LAverageSFPUC	50 ug/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— SFPUC, Valley Water, Groundwater Well SFPUCZone avgNot detected ug/Lrange0–2.7 ug/L5% of limit Valley WaterZone avgNot detected ug/LrangeNot detected ug/L0% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avgNot detected ug/LrangeNot detected ug/L0% of limit
SodiumA naturally occurring salt component.	47 mg/LAverageValley Water	None set	Detected — no federal limit
+By source (3)— Valley Water, Groundwater Well, SFPUC Valley WaterZone avg47 mg/Lrange45–49 mg/L Groundwater WellPlant avg28 mg/Lrange22–41 mg/L SFPUCZone avg13 mg/Lrange3.1–24 mg/L

Disinfection byproducts

Contaminant	Measured	Federal limit	Status
ChlorateA byproduct that can form during disinfection, especially when hypochlorite solutions degrade.	134 mg/LAverageSFPUC	800 mg/LNL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— SFPUC, Groundwater Well, Valley Water SFPUCZone avg134 mg/Lrange24–597 mg/L75% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avgNot detected mg/LrangeNot detected mg/L0% of limit Valley WaterZone avgNot detected mg/LrangeNot detected mg/L0% of limit

Inorganic chemicals

Contaminant	Measured	Federal limit	Status
SulfateA naturally occurring mineral from rock and soil.	66 mg/LAverageValley Water	500 mg/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— Valley Water, SFPUC, Groundwater Well Valley WaterZone avg66 mg/Lrange57–80 mg/L16% of limit SFPUCZone avg21 mg/Lrange1–41 mg/L8% of limit Groundwater WellPlant avg34 mg/Lrange23–41 mg/L8% of limit
ChlorideA naturally occurring salt compound.	50 mg/LAverageValley Water	500 mg/LMCL	Within the limit
+By source (3)— Groundwater Well, Valley Water, SFPUC Groundwater WellPlant avg43 mg/Lrange32–62 mg/L12% of limit Valley WaterZone avg50 mg/Lrange47–53 mg/L11% of limit SFPUCZone avg4.9 mg/Lrange0–9.9 mg/L2% of limit

Disinfectants

Contaminant	Measured	Federal limit	Status
ChlorineA disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses.	2.3 mg/LRunning annual avgSystem-wide	None set	Detected — no federal limit

Microbial

Contaminant	Measured	Federal limit	Status
Giardia lamblia	0.02AverageSFPUC	None set	Detected — no federal limit
+By source (2)— SFPUC, Valley Water SFPUCZone avg0.02range0–0.06 Valley WaterZone avgNot detectedrangeNot detected

Source: Sunnyvale, CA's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report — the annual drinking-water report every U.S. utility is required to publish. The numbers on this page are the utility's own. A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.