Public water system · CA2710016
ActiveLittle Bear Water Company
At a glance
Little Bear Water Company (PWSID CA2710016) is an active community water system in Monterey County, California. It reports serving 2,327 people through 703 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
2,327
Service connections
703
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Little Bear Water Company compare with other water systems in Monterey County?
By EPA's size categories, Little Bear Water Company is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Monterey County has 307 active public water systems. Its population served is about 50% above the county average of 1,552 people per system, and accounts for 0.5% of the 476,419 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 Little Bear Water Company is about 65% 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 means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 6,179 California systems (83%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Little Bear Water Company?
EPA lists Little Bear Water Company 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. 266 of the 307 active systems in Monterey County (87%) are also privately owned.
Does Little Bear Water Company have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025. The violations listed here began between June 1984 and April 2025. By type: 5 monitoring and reporting, 3 contaminant level above the legal limit, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 1 required treatment not met and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (3 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved, 3 as archived, 1 as unaddressed and 1 as addressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement. Addressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-06 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherFailure to Consult with State · code 20 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-01-30 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Addressed |
| 2018-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-08-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-05-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2004-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1987-02-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherNotification, Public · code 06 | Not reported | No | Archived |
| 1984-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Archived |
| 1984-06-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitratecode 1040 | Yes | Archived |
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.
Little Bear Water Company: frequently asked questions
Who runs Little Bear Water Company?
Little Bear Water Company (PWSID CA2710016) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the CA state drinking water program.
How many people does Little Bear Water Company serve?
Little Bear Water Company reports serving 2,327 people through 703 service connections in Monterey County, California.
Where does Little Bear Water Company get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Little Bear Water Company have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025. 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 Little Bear Water Company'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, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the CA state drinking water program.
Where can I find Little Bear Water Company's water quality report?
As a community water system, Little Bear Water Company 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 Monterey County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cwsc Salinas | Monterey | 123,679 | Community | Groundwater |
| Cal Am Water Company - Monterey | Monterey | 92,450 | Community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Alco Water Service | Monterey | 56,253 | Community | Groundwater |
| Marina Coast Water District | Monterey | 38,377 | Community | Groundwater |
| Soledad, City of | Monterey | 19,455 | Community | Groundwater |
| Greenfield, City of | Monterey | 18,967 | 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, “Little Bear Water Company, PWSID CA2710016, California”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/california/little-bear-water-company-ca2710016 (data as of October 1, 2026).