Is Needles, City of Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: San Bernardino

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2012-10-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2012-10-01

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Lead	0.0034 mg/L 23% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	22/22	LCR	2025
Nitrate	2300 µg/L 23% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	20/58	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	44.5 µg/L 2.2% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 49 µg/L	11/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Uranium	11.3166 µg/L 38% of the EPA limit 30 µg/L worst single sample: 12.7693 µg/L	11/11	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	7.18 µg/L 72% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 7.6 µg/L	7/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	5.59 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.8 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Bromoform	15.1 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 16 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	5.14 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.2 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Dibromochloromethane	15.1 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 16 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Selenium	8.53 µg/L 17% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L worst single sample: 9.1 µg/L	7/13	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	36.96 µg/L 46% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 39 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	6.32 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 6.8 µg/L	7/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Chloroform	1.275 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.3 µg/L	6/8	SYR4	2015–2019
Lithium	108 µg/L No EPA limit set	6/6	UCMR-5	2025
Fluoride	1810 µg/L 45% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1900 µg/L	4/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	13.72 µg/L 91% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 15 µg/L	3/6	SYR4	2012–2019
Chromium	5.94 µg/L 5.9% of the EPA limit 100 µg/L worst single sample: 6.1 µg/L	2/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	1390 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1400 µg/L	2/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrite	1.39 µg/L 0.1% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L worst single sample: 1.4 µg/L	2/12	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	41 µg/L 3.2% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L	1/13	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.4 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/8	SYR4	2015–2019

90 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,3,7,8-TCDD2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDichloroacetic AcidDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroacetic AcidTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: TORRANCE, RAINIE
Phone: 760-326-2115
Email: rtorrance@cityofneedles.com

Frequently asked questions about Needles, City of

Is Needles, City of tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 21 contaminants in Needles, City of's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Needles, City of's water?

EPA monitoring detected Lead, Nitrate, Barium, Combined Uranium, Arsenic, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Needles, City of serve?

Needles, City of reports serving 8,766 people in California, per its EPA record.

Has Needles, City of had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 18 violations on file for Needles, City of, of which 0 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.