PlainWater
Counties → California

Santa Barbara County, California

Water Systems
152
Population Served
490,541
Total Violations
2,187
782 health-based
PFAS Detected
15
of 15 tested

Violation Analysis

86.2%
Systems with Violations
14.4
Avg Violations per System
35.8%
Health-Based Violations

Water Source Types

GW
31 systems (20%)
SW
19 systems (13%)

PFAS Contamination

15
Systems Tested
15
PFAS Detected
100.0%
Detection Rate

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are persistent chemicals found in drinking water. The EPA has set enforceable limits for several PFAS compounds under UCMR5 monitoring.

Compliance Snapshot

Santa Barbara California water systems by violation status, EPA SDWIS records.

No violations on record (7) One or more violations (43)

Violation history is cumulative, many flagged systems have already returned to compliance. Detail pages show per-system context.

Water Systems

System Name Population Violations PFAS
City of Santa Maria Utilities Department 109,477 13 Clean
City of Santa Barbara Water Department 98,872 9 Clean
Goleta Water District 84,462 22 Detected
Lompoc-City Water Utility Div 40,473 8 Clean
Golden State Water Company - Orcutt 34,102 2 Clean
Carpinteria Valley Water District 15,996 10 Clean
American Water O&m, LLC - Vsfb 14,971 17 Clean
Montecito Water Dist 11,962 10 Clean
Guadalupe Water Department 8,897 17 Clean
Vandenberg Village Comm. Serv. Dist. 7,308 2 Clean
Santa Ynez River Water Cons. Dist. Id#1 7,022 27 Clean
Solvang Water Division 6,126 38 Detected
City of Buellton Water Division 5,161 13 Clean
La Cumbre Mutual Water Co 4,861 7 Clean
Cal Trans - Gaviota Rsr 4,690 6 -
Mission Hills Csd 3,600 6 Clean
Golden State Water Company - Tanglewood 1,947 0 -
Los Alamos Community Services District 1,534 6 -
Nojoqui Falls County Park 1,502 10 -
Rancho Maria Golf Course 1,000 9 -
La Purisima Golf Course 1,000 5 -
Lake Cachuma County Park 1,000 2 -
Rsm Resort LLC 1,000 8 -
Gatehouse Tasting Room at Bien Nacido 950 0 -
El Capitan Beach State Park 915 2 -
Windset Farms Greenhouses 900 12 -
Jalama Beach Park 882 10 -
Refugio State Beach 855 2 -
Los Prietos Complex 845 13 -
Cuyama Community Services District 700 61 -
Arctic Cold 623 0 -
Bonita School 589 10 -
Dierberg/Star Lane Vineyard 550 0 -
San Vicente Water Company 550 48 -
Golden State Water Company - Lake Marie 545 0 -
White Lotus 503 0 -
Rancho Alegre 500 2 -
Valley Pacific Petroleum Services 500 0 -
Pence Vineyards 460 1 -
Rancho Oso 416 12 -
Fess Parker Winery 415 2 -
Lo-Fi Winery 413 4 -
South Coast Inn 339 2 -
El Capitan Mutual Water Company 325 20 -
Woodstock Ranch 325 2 -
Saint Marie Mobile Home Park 320 29 -
Shepherd of the Valley 320 12 -
Las Cruces State Park 306 2 -
Santa Ynez Rancho Estates 304 2 -
Skyline Park 295 21 -

Other Counties in California

Los Angeles County
276 systems · 10,109,089 served · 3,972 violations
San Diego County
197 systems · 3,744,323 served · 4,832 violations
Orange County
46 systems · 3,201,893 served · 507 violations
Riverside County
201 systems · 2,839,125 served · 6,103 violations
San Bernardino County
318 systems · 2,830,626 served · 4,611 violations
Alameda County
27 systems · 2,249,634 served · 275 violations

Drinking Water Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many water violations are in Santa Barbara County? ▼
Santa Barbara County has 2,187 total drinking water violations across 152 water systems, of which 782 are health-based violations. 86.2% of systems have at least one violation.
How many people get water from Santa Barbara County systems? ▼
Water systems in Santa Barbara County serve approximately 490,541 people through 152 public water systems.
Has PFAS been detected in Santa Barbara County water? ▼
Of 15 water systems tested for PFAS in Santa Barbara County, 15 had PFAS detected (100.0% detection rate).
What types of water sources supply Santa Barbara County? ▼
Water systems in Santa Barbara County use GW (31 systems), SW (19 systems) as their primary water sources.
Are health-based violations serious? ▼
Health-based violations indicate that drinking water exceeded Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set by the EPA or failed treatment technique requirements. 35.8% of Santa Barbara County's violations are health-based. Not all violations indicate immediate health risk, but they require corrective action.
Data Sources & Methodology

Drinking water violation data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). PFAS testing data from the UCMR5 monitoring program. SDWIS tracks all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Violations are categorized as health-based (Maximum Contaminant Level exceedances, treatment technique failures) or monitoring/reporting violations. Not all violations indicate an immediate health risk.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.