San Jose, CA Water Quality (ZIP 95112)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 95112 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 95112 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 76 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 95112? 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 95112 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 95112 (San Jose, CA). Monitoring found a peak of 76 ppt across 12 systems, averaging 0.44 ppt over 9 detected compounds.

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

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 95112

• PFOS: 76 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFHXS: 42 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFPEA: 0.02 ppt
• PFBS: 0.01 ppt
• PFHXA: 0.01 ppt

Lead in ZIP 95112 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 213 lead samples for the systems serving 95112, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0171 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 95112

The water systems serving 95112 have 22 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Arsenic, Gross Alpha (excl. radon & uranium), Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), 2987, Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). 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 95112 in San Jose, CA.

Beyond water: other exposures in San Jose, CA

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 95112 and Santa Clara County, CA.

Radon risk in Santa Clara County, CA

The EPA places Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County, CA

Census figures show 61% of homes in Santa Clara County, CA were built before 1980, and 8% 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 Santa Clara County, CA

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Santa Clara County, CA averages 7.9 µg/m³, within 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.

Superfund sites near 95112

There is 1 EPA Superfund (National Priorities List) site within about five miles of 95112: Lorentz Barrel & Drum Co. (about 2.1 miles). Distances are measured from the ZIP code's geographic centre, so the distance from a specific address will differ. Proximity to a listed site is a fact about location - it is not itself evidence of exposure.

Industrial releases near 95112

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 11 reporting facilities within about five miles of 95112, together reporting roughly 164,360 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.