Public water system · CA4410011
ActiveWatsonville, City of
At a glance
City of Watsonville (PWSID CA4410011) is an active community water system in Santa Cruz County, California. It reports serving 65,231 people through 14,955 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in June 1993.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
65,231
Service connections
14,955
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Watsonville compare with other water systems in Santa Cruz County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Watsonville is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Santa Cruz County has 96 active public water systems, and City of Watsonville is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 23 times the county average of 2,856 people per system, and accounts for 24% 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 City of Watsonville is about 9.7 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. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 609 California systems (8.1%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Watsonville?
EPA lists City of Watsonville 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. 16 of the 96 active systems in Santa Cruz County (17%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Watsonville have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in June 1993. By type: 1 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved is Lead and Copper Rule. EPA lists 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-30 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
The one violation in EPA's records.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 Watsonville: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Watsonville?
City of Watsonville (PWSID CA4410011) 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 Watsonville serve?
City of Watsonville reports serving 65,231 people through 14,955 service connections in Santa Cruz County, California.
Where does City of Watsonville get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does City of Watsonville have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in June 1993. 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 Watsonville'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 one violation for this system; it is not health-based, and the most recent began in June 1993. 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 Watsonville's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Watsonville 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 |
| 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 |
| Slvwd - Felton Water System | Santa Cruz | 4,340 | Community | 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, “Watsonville, City of, PWSID CA4410011, California”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/california/watsonville-city-of-ca4410011 (data as of October 1, 2026).