Public water system · CA4310012
ActiveCity of Santa Clara
At a glance
City of Santa Clara (PWSID CA4310012) is an active community water system in Santa Clara County, California. It reports serving 130,746 people through 26,113 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in March 1995.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
130,746
Service connections
26,113
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Santa Clara compare with other water systems in Santa Clara County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Santa Clara is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Santa Clara County has 121 active public water systems, and City of Santa Clara is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 7.5 times the county average of 17,334 people per system, and accounts for 6.2% of the 2,097,447 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across California, the 7,479 active systems average 5,706 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so City of Santa Clara is about 20 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. California has 2,997 active community water systems, 40% of the state's 7,479 active systems. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 506 California systems (6.8%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Santa Clara?
EPA lists City of Santa Clara as owned by a local government. The CA state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 34 of the 121 active systems in Santa Clara County (28%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Santa Clara have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in March 1995. The violations listed here began between June 1988 and March 1995. By type: 2 required treatment not met and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Surface Water Treatment Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 2 as resolved and 1 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-03-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1992-03-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1988-06-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
All 3 violations in EPA's records, newest first. Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
City of Santa Clara: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Santa Clara?
City of Santa Clara (PWSID CA4310012) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the CA state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Santa Clara serve?
City of Santa Clara reports serving 130,746 people through 26,113 service connections in Santa Clara County, California.
Where does City of Santa Clara get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does City of Santa Clara have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in March 1995. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is City of Santa Clara's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 3 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in March 1995. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the CA state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Santa Clara's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Santa Clara must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Santa Clara County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose Water | Santa Clara | 1,039,920 | Community | Surface water |
| City of Sunnyvale | Santa Clara | 157,566 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Great Oaks Wc Inc. | Santa Clara | 110,088 | Community | Groundwater |
| City of San Jose - Evg/Edv/Coy | Santa Clara | 101,265 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| City of Milpitas | Santa Clara | 81,773 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| City of Mountain View | Santa Clara | 81,501 | Community | Purchased surface water |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “City of Santa Clara, PWSID CA4310012, California”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/california/city-of-santa-clara-ca4310012 (data as of October 1, 2026).