# Concord, CA — Drinking Water Quality

> Contaminant levels for the Concord, CA public water system, transcribed from its annual Consumer Confidence Report and compared to federal limits.

- Page: https://www.thewatermap.com/water/concord-ca
- JSON API: https://www.thewatermap.com/api/water/concord-ca
- Source: the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- Verification: transcribed by a model, cross-checked by a second model, approved by a human
- Contaminants measured: 31
- Contaminants with a federal limit: 21
- Contaminants at or above the federal limit: 10
- Part of The Water Map — https://www.thewatermap.com

## Contaminants measured

| Contaminant | Category | Measured level | Sampling context | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloramine | Disinfectants | 0–4.2 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCLG) | At or above the limit |
| Bromate | Disinfection byproducts | 0–8 ug/L (Range) | System-wide | 0.1 ug/L (MCLG) | At or above the limit |
| Chlorite | Disinfection byproducts | 0.1–0.4 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 0.05 mg/L (MCLG) | At or above the limit |
| HAA5 | Disinfection byproducts | 0–22 ug/L (Range) | System-wide | 60 ug/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| TTHM | Disinfection byproducts | 18–82 ug/L (Range) | System-wide | 80 ug/L (MCL) | At or above the limit |
| Ammonia | Inorganic chemicals | 0.6 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Asbestos | Inorganic chemicals | 0–0.2 MFL (Range) | System-wide | 7 MFL (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Bromide | Inorganic chemicals | 0–0.3 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Chloride | Inorganic chemicals | 42–159 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 250 mg/L (MCL) | Approaching the limit |
| Fluoride | Inorganic chemicals | 0.6–0.9 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 1 mg/L (MCLG) | Approaching the limit |
| Nitrate | Inorganic chemicals | 0–1.7 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 10 mg/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Sulfate | Inorganic chemicals | 58–114 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 250 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Aluminum | Metals | 0–80 ug/L (Range) | System-wide | 600 ug/L (MCLG) | Within the limit |
| Calcium | Metals | 10–56 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Chromium, Hexavalent | Metals | 0–0.14 ug/L (Range) | System-wide | 0.02 ug/L (MCLG) | At or above the limit |
| Copper | Metals | 3–5 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 1 mg/L (MCL) | At or above the limit |
| Lead | Metals | Not detected ug/L (90th percentile) | At the tap | 0.2 ug/L (MCLG) | None detected |
| Lithium | Metals | 0–23 ug/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Magnesium | Metals | 6.1–14 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Manganese | Metals | Not detected ug/L (Range) | System-wide | 50 ug/L (MCL) | None detected |
| Potassium | Metals | 1.3–3.4 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Sodium | Metals | 48–70 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Total Coliform | Microbial | 0–3.6 (Range) | System-wide | 5 (MCL) | Approaching the limit |
| Alkalinity | Physical & aggregate | 60–160 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Color | Physical & aggregate | 0–2 (Range) | System-wide | 15 (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Hardness | Physical & aggregate | 76–217 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Odor | Physical & aggregate | 0–3 (Range) | System-wide | 3 (MCL) | At or above the limit |
| pH | Physical & aggregate | 7.7–9.3 (Range) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Specific Conductance | Physical & aggregate | 320–928 (Range) | System-wide | 900 (MCL) | At or above the limit |
| Total Dissolved Solids | Physical & aggregate | 173–516 mg/L (Range) | System-wide | 500 mg/L (MCL) | At or above the limit |
| Turbidity | Physical & aggregate | 100 NTU (Average) | System-wide | 95 NTU (MCL) | At or above the limit |

## What these contaminants are

- **Chloramine** — A longer-lasting disinfectant made by combining chlorine with ammonia. Holds disinfection further into the pipe network, but is regulated under the same residual-disinfectant cap as chlorine.
- **Bromate** — A disinfection byproduct formed when bromide-containing water is treated with ozone. Classified as a probable human carcinogen; the EPA sets a strict maximum contaminant level.
- **HAA5** — Haloacetic acids — a group of five disinfection byproducts formed when disinfectants react with organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is associated with an increased cancer risk.
- **TTHM** — Total trihalomethanes — a group of four chemicals (including chloroform) formed when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is linked to liver, kidney, and central-nervous-system effects and increased cancer risk.
- **Bromide** — A naturally occurring salt found in source water. Not directly regulated, but a precursor that increases formation of brominated disinfection byproducts.
- **Chloride** — A naturally occurring salt compound. Regulated only as a secondary (cosmetic) standard; high levels cause a salty taste and can corrode pipes.
- **Fluoride** — A mineral often added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Beneficial at low levels, but long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause bone disease and tooth mottling.
- **Nitrate** — A compound from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and erosion of natural deposits. Levels above the federal limit can cause 'blue baby syndrome,' a serious oxygen-transport condition in infants.
- **Sulfate** — A naturally occurring mineral from rock and soil. No health-based federal limit; high levels can have a laxative effect and a bitter taste.
- **Aluminum** — A common element sometimes used as a treatment coagulant. Regulated only as a secondary (cosmetic) standard; high levels can discolor water.
- **Calcium** — A naturally occurring mineral that contributes to water hardness. Not federally regulated for health; affects scaling and taste.
- **Chromium, Hexavalent** — Hexavalent chromium ('chromium-6') — the more toxic form of chromium. A known carcinogen by inhalation; regulated nationally only within the total-chromium limit, with stricter limits in some states.
- **Copper** — A metal that enters water from corroding household plumbing. Short-term exposure causes stomach distress; long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.
- **Lead** — A toxic metal that leaches into water from old service lines, solder, and plumbing fixtures. There is no safe level of lead; it harms brain development in children and raises blood pressure in adults. The EPA sets an action level, not a health goal above zero.
- **Lithium** — A naturally occurring element found in some groundwater. No enforceable federal limit; on the EPA contaminant candidate list for further study.
- **Magnesium** — A naturally occurring mineral that contributes to water hardness. Not federally regulated for health; affects scaling and taste.
- **Manganese** — A naturally occurring metal from soil and rock. No enforceable federal limit; high levels stain fixtures and laundry and can affect taste, with a health advisory for infants.
- **Potassium** — A naturally occurring mineral from rock and soil. Not federally regulated for health.
- **Sodium** — A naturally occurring salt component. Not federally regulated for health; relevant for people on sodium-restricted diets.
- **Total Coliform** — A group of bacteria used as an indicator of overall water-system sanitation. Coliforms themselves are usually harmless, but their presence signals that disease-causing organisms could enter the system.
- **Alkalinity** — A measure of the water's capacity to neutralize acids. Not federally regulated for health; relevant to corrosion control and treatment.
- **Color** — A measure of visible tint in the water. Regulated only as a secondary (cosmetic) standard.
- **Hardness** — A measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium minerals. Not federally regulated for health; affects scaling, soap use, and taste.
- **Odor** — A measure of detectable smell in the water. Regulated only as a secondary (cosmetic) standard.
- **pH** — A measure of how acidic or basic the water is. Regulated only as a secondary standard; very low or high pH can corrode pipes or affect taste.
- **Specific Conductance** — A measure of how well water conducts electricity, which tracks dissolved mineral content. Not federally regulated for health; used as a proxy for total dissolved solids.
- **Total Dissolved Solids** — Total dissolved solids — the combined content of all dissolved minerals and salts. Regulated only as a secondary (cosmetic) standard; high levels affect taste and hardness.
- **Turbidity** — A measure of cloudiness from suspended particles in the water. High turbidity can shelter microbes from disinfection; the EPA enforces it through a treatment-technique standard.

## How to read this

- A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
- 'Federal limit' is the EPA standard (MCL, action level, treatment technique, etc.) that the measured level is compared against.
- 'At or above the federal limit' means the utility's own reported figure met or exceeded that standard.

_Figures are the utility's own published numbers. Generated 2026-05-21 from thewatermap.com._