Murrieta, CA Water Quality (ZIP 92562)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 92562 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 92562 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 120 ppt, above the EPA's 4 ppt enforceable limit. A reverse osmosis or certified PFAS filter is strongly recommended.

What filter should I use in 92562? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 92562 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 92562 (Murrieta, CA). Monitoring found a peak of 120 ppt across 4 systems, averaging 3.54 ppt over 8 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: HIGH – High contamination – multiple PFAS compounds detected at levels significantly above EPA safety thresholds.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 92562

• PFHXS: 120 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFOS: 82 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 53 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHPA: 22 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFBA: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 92562 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 21 lead samples for the systems serving 92562, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.022 mg/L (above the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 92562

The water systems serving 92562 have 31 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Lead. A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 92562 in Murrieta, CA.

Beyond water: other exposures in Murrieta, CA

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 92562 and Riverside County, CA.

Radon risk in Riverside County, CA

The EPA places Riverside County, CA in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Riverside County, CA

Census figures show 31% of homes in Riverside County, CA were built before 1980, and 4% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Riverside County, CA

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Riverside County, CA averages 9.3 µg/m³, above the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.