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Community Water System · PWS CA3700934

Pauma Valley Water Company

Pauma Valley, California 92061 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 185 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

185
People served
157
EPA violations
85
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 157 drinking-water violations at Pauma Valley Water Company, 54% of them health-based - above the California per-system average.

157
Total EPA violations on record
54%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
185
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Pauma Valley Water Company

Pauma Valley Water Company is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 185 residents in Pauma Valley, California (San Diego County) through 74 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 157 total violations for this system , of which 85 (54%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 39 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Nitrate, recorded in 50 violations (MCL, health-based). 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%).

Pauma Valley Water Company's 157 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
185
Total Violations
157
Health-Based Violations
85
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
74
County
San Diego
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
82
Monitoring Violations
39
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrate MCL 50 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 16 2013
Selenium MCL 12 2025
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 12 2023
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 2015
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 2007
Combined Uranium MR 4 2017
Nitrite MR 4 2017
Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 2017
TTHM MR 2 2011
Nitrate MR 2 2016
Chromium MR 2 2016
Benzene MR 2 2016
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 2010
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 2 1981
Bromate MCL 2 2007
Arsenic MR 2 2016
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 2010

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 Pauma Valley Water Company.

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 CA3700934 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 Pauma Valley Water Company 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
2025 Nitrate MCL 50 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 1040
2025 Selenium MCL 12 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 1045
2023 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 12 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 2456
2017 Combined Uranium MR 4 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 4006
2017 Nitrite MR 4 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 1041
2017 Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 5000
2016 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 1040
2016 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 1020
2016 Benzene MR 2 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 2990
2016 Arsenic MR 2 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 1005
2015 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 7000
2013 Coliform (TCR) MR 16 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 3100
2011 TTHM MR 2 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 2950
2010 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 0300
2010 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 1 SDWIS / CA3700934 / 0800

How Pauma Valley Water Company Compares

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

Metric Pauma Valley Water Company California avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 157 21.1 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 85 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 185 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 Pauma Valley Water Company water safe to drink? ▼
Pauma Valley Water Company (PWS ID: CA3700934) has 157 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 185 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Pauma Valley Water Company serve? ▼
Pauma Valley Water Company serves 185 people in Pauma Valley, California. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 74 service connections.
What type of violations does Pauma Valley Water Company have? ▼
Pauma Valley Water Company has 157 total violations: 85 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 39 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Pauma Valley Water Company water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Pauma Valley Water Company under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Pauma Valley Water Company use? ▼
Pauma Valley Water Company 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.