Orange, CA Water Quality (ZIP 92861)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 92861 tap water safe to drink? PFAS compounds have been detected in 92861's water at an average of 0.86 ppt across 8 compounds. A certified pitcher filter or reverse osmosis system is recommended, especially for sensitive populations.

What filter should I use in 92861? 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 92861 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 92861 (Orange, CA). Monitoring found a peak of 65.9 ppt across 2 systems, averaging 0.86 ppt over 8 detected compounds.

Contamination Level: MODERATE – Moderate contamination – PFAS detected at meaningful levels; filtration recommended.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 92861

• PFOS: 65.9 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOA: 29.1 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHPA: 11.5 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFPEA: 0.02 ppt
• PFBA: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 92861 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 7 lead samples for the systems serving 92861, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.00466 mg/L (within 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.

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 92861 in Orange, CA.

Beyond water: other exposures in Orange, CA

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 92861 and Orange County, CA.

Radon risk in Orange County, CA

The EPA places Orange County, CA in Zone 3 - the EPA's lowest-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level below 2 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 Orange County, CA

Census figures show 58% of homes in Orange 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 Orange County, CA

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Orange County, CA averages 10.1 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.

Industrial releases near 92861

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 7 reporting facilities within about five miles of 92861, together reporting roughly 198,373 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.