Public water system · CA4410016
ActiveForest Lakes Mwc
At a glance
Forest Lakes Mwc (PWSID CA4410016) is an active community water system in Santa Cruz County, California. It reports serving 1,067 people through 326 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater under influence of surface water, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,067
Service connections
326
Primary source
GU
Groundwater under influence of surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Forest Lakes Mwc compare with other water systems in Santa Cruz County?
By EPA's size categories, Forest Lakes Mwc is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Santa Cruz County has 96 active public water systems. Its population served is about 63% below the county average of 2,856 people per system, and accounts for 0.4% of the 274,204 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 Forest Lakes Mwc is well below 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. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules. 105 California systems (1.4%) list groundwater under influence of surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Forest Lakes Mwc?
EPA lists Forest Lakes Mwc as privately owned. 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. 76 of the 96 active systems in Santa Cruz County (79%) are also privately owned.
Does Forest Lakes Mwc have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015. The violations listed here began between January 2007 and July 2015. By type: 6 contaminant level above the legal limit, 5 monitoring and reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Arsenic (7 of them). EPA lists 12 as resolved. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-04 | Required treatment not metFailure to Filter (SWTR) · code 42 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2012-02-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2009-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Arseniccode 1005 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2009-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Arseniccode 1005 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2009-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Arseniccode 1005 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2008-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Arseniccode 1005 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2008-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Arseniccode 1005 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Arseniccode 1005 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2008-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Arseniccode 1005 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2007-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent 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.
Forest Lakes Mwc: frequently asked questions
Who runs Forest Lakes Mwc?
Forest Lakes Mwc (PWSID CA4410016) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the CA state drinking water program.
How many people does Forest Lakes Mwc serve?
Forest Lakes Mwc reports serving 1,067 people through 326 service connections in Santa Cruz County, California.
Where does Forest Lakes Mwc get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater under influence of surface water. Groundwater under the influence of surface water is well or spring water that the regulator has found to be affected by nearby surface water, so it is regulated under the surface-water treatment rules.
Does Forest Lakes Mwc have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015. 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 Forest Lakes Mwc'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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 7 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the CA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Forest Lakes Mwc's water quality report?
As a community water system, Forest Lakes Mwc 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 Cruz County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz Water Department | Santa Cruz | 94,626 | Community | Surface water |
| Watsonville, City of | Santa Cruz | 65,231 | Community | Surface water |
| Soquel Creek Water District | Santa Cruz | 40,809 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| San Lorenzo Valley Water Dist | Santa Cruz | 21,145 | Community | Surface water |
| Cabrillo College | Santa Cruz | 12,000 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Scotts Valley Water District | Santa Cruz | 11,197 | Community | Groundwater |
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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, “Forest Lakes Mwc, PWSID CA4410016, California”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/california/forest-lakes-mwc-ca4410016 (data as of October 1, 2026).