Salinas ranks fifth among 14 other cities across the country of similar size with having the best tap water with a grade A- rating, according to the latest report from TownWaterCheck.
TownWaterCheck is a water quality advocacy website that provides public health grading and reports on municipal tap water across the United States.
The top-ranked city is Springfield, Illinois with Evansville, Indiana and Lansing, Michigan following, according to the report.
Produced on June 20 and based on samples recorded in 2024, the report outlines water quality data, identifies contaminants and suggests appropriate filtration systems to ensure safe, clean drinking water.
Salinas's tap water was found to have low levels of contaminants, with test results showing that key harmful substances like arsenic and lead are all well within safe limits as defined by regulatory standards and do not pose a health risk to the local population.
The report states, “lead in tap water almost always comes from the service line and household plumbing, not the source water. The risk in any individual home depends on the home's pipes, especially houses built before 1986.”
What keeps Salinas from a perfect grade ranking, is the nitrate level in tap water reported as 11.05 parts per million (ppm), which is just below the regulatory maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ppm set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This means the nitrate concentration is slightly above the MCL, indicating a potential concern, but still monitored and treated to ensure safety.
Reverse osmosis filters are suggested to reduce any contaminants rather than a standard carbon pitcher.
Within Central California, the other top ranked city is Visalia with also an A- ranking, according to another TownWaterCheck report published on July 14.