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Community Water System · PWS CA1503226

Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System

Tehachapi, California 93561 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 221 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

221
People served
49
EPA violations
24
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 49 drinking-water violations at Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System, 49% of them health-based - above the California per-system average.

49
Total EPA violations on record
49%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
221
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System

Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 221 residents in Tehachapi, California (Kern County) through 80 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 49 total violations for this system , of which 24 (49%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 25 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 12 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across California, EPA tracks 7,249 public water systems serving 42,404,883 people, with 153,308 cumulative violations and 63,983 health-based violations on record. About 89% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 21.1 violations. Statewide, 231 of 694 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (33.3%).

Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System's 49 violations sit above the California average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
221
Total Violations
49
Health-Based Violations
24
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
80
County
Kern
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
24
Monitoring Violations
25
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 2016
Antimony, Total MCL 12 2018
Fluoride MCL 12 2018
Coliform (TCR) MR 9 2014
Arsenic MR 2 2007
Antimony, Total MR 2 2007

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID CA1503226 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

California Drinking Water Authority

California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System under EPA-delegated authority.

Open CA regulator portal

Source: California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2018 Antimony, Total MCL 12 SDWIS / CA1503226 / 1074
2018 Fluoride MCL 12 SDWIS / CA1503226 / 1025
2016 Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 SDWIS / CA1503226 / 5000
2014 Coliform (TCR) MR 9 SDWIS / CA1503226 / 3100
2007 Arsenic MR 2 SDWIS / CA1503226 / 1005
2007 Antimony, Total MR 2 SDWIS / CA1503226 / 1074

How Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System California avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 49 21.1 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 24 8.8 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 33.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 221 5,850 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 7,249 regulated public water systems in California.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System (PWS ID: CA1503226) has 49 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 221 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System serve? ▼
Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System serves 221 people in Tehachapi, California. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 80 service connections.
What type of violations does Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System have? ▼
Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System has 49 total violations: 24 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 25 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System use? ▼
Qvwd-West & East Combined Water System uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

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 system's figures are rendered directly from 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.