Chromium-6 in San Fernando Valley Water

What is California's chromium-6 limit?

California's limit is 10 µg/L, and it has applied since October 1, 2024. The State Water Board's chromium-6 page also lists a public health goal (PHG) of 0.02 µg/L, set by OEHHA in 2011. The PHG is a health target, not an enforceable limit.

This is the state's second try. A 10 µg/L limit first took effect in 2014, but a Sacramento court threw it out in 2017 because the rule had not shown why it was economically feasible. Until the new rule, chromium-6 was covered only by the total chromium limit of 50 µg/L, which California has kept since 1977 (the federal total chromium limit is 100 µg/L).

The state gave water systems time to build treatment. Its chromium-6 rule FAQ sets October 1, 2026 for systems with more than 10,000 connections, October 1, 2027 for 1,000 to 10,000, and October 1, 2028 for smaller ones. The rule covers public water systems, not private wells.

How much chromium-6 is in San Fernando Valley water?

In 2025, chromium-6 in San Fernando Valley water ranged from under 0.1 µg/L on LADWP water to a few parts per billion in Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando. Every supplier's average sat below the 10 µg/L limit, and so did every single result printed.

LADWP's Drinking Water Quality Report 2025 (2025 data, published July 2026) shows less than 0.1 µg/L at the LA Aqueduct Filtration Plant, the Northern Combined Wells and the MWD Jensen plant, the three columns that apply to the Valley. The wells reached 0.6 µg/L at their highest.

Burbank Water and Power's 2025 water quality report (2025 data, published June 2026) gives an average of 4.5 ppb, from not detected (ND) up to 8.3. Those figures describe the blend of imported water and treated local groundwater that Burbank delivers.

Glendale reports chromium-6 only for its own groundwater plant: 5.1 ppb on average, 2.9 to 8.7, measured before that water is blended with imported supply. The imported water it buys tested ND. The City of San Fernando's report lists 3.4 ppb, with a range of 3.0 to 3.9, from its Sylmar Basin wells.

Where did the Valley's groundwater contamination come from?

It came from industry. Testing between 1981 and 1987 found contamination in more than half of the supply wells in the eastern San Fernando Valley basin, and EPA began listing Valley areas as Superfund sites in 1986; there are now four. The main chemicals are solvents (TCE and PCE), 1,4-dioxane and chromium-6.

EPA's Area 1 cleanup page describes about 20 square miles of polluted groundwater, mostly under North Hollywood and Burbank. Area 2 covers about 10 square miles under Glendale, and in 2007 EPA created a separate Glendale Chromium unit for total and hexavalent chromium there. Area 4 sits near LADWP's Pollock wells.

This is why the figures split the way they do. Burbank and Glendale lean on that basin: Glendale drew 31.3% of its 2025 water from it. LADWP drew only about 1% of its 2025 supply from local groundwater, so the Valley's LADWP taps mostly carry aqueduct and imported water. The water sources page has the full mix.

How is the groundwater being cleaned up?

Pumping and treating, for more than 35 years. The North Hollywood system began in 1989, and the Burbank plant has run since 1996 and treated about 36 billion gallons, according to EPA. A second North Hollywood plan adds treatment for chromium-6 and 1,4-dioxane at the wellhead.

Glendale's groundwater plant uses ion exchange, air stripping and activated carbon, and Glendale says it was a pioneer in researching how to remove chromium-6 from groundwater. LADWP has three larger plants, Tujunga Central plus North Hollywood Central and West, that LADWP describes as being built and commissioned in 2025 and 2026. Its groundwater remediation page and 2024-25 briefing book say the three together would let it pump about 104,000 acre-feet a year, roughly 20 percent of the city's water use.

How do you check chromium-6 at your own tap?

Start with your supplier's yearly report, because chromium-6 results must be printed there. Find your supplier's column, then compare the average and range with the 10 µg/L limit; the page on reading your water quality report walks through the table.

If you want your own sample tested, the state's FAQ points to labs accredited by its Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) for chromium-6. Ask the lab for a method that reports down to 0.1 µg/L, the state's reporting limit, or a low reading may come back as simply "not detected".

Which home filters are certified for chromium-6?

The State Water Board names three treatment methods that reliably bring chromium-6 under the limit: ion exchange, reduction-coagulation-filtration and reverse osmosis. Only a filter certified for chromium-6 reduction on that exact model is worth paying for this purpose, and the state's FAQ notes that under-sink (point-of-use) units are far more common than whole-house ones.

California requires any device sold with a health claim to be certified by an accredited body and registered. The State Water Board's device database can be searched by contaminant or model number.

One example sold by a shop that shares owners with this site: Quality Water Treatment lists the Waterdrop G3-W under-sink reverse osmosis system at $459, the shop's listed price in October 2026. IAPMO R&T certifies it to NSF/ANSI 58 (file WC-13976) for reduction of TDS, fluoride, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and selenium. It is not certified for lead, so if lead is your concern, read the lead page first.

On LADWP water, with chromium-6 under 0.1 µg/L, a filter for this purpose has little to work on. In Burbank or Glendale it is a personal choice, not a fix for a violation. The under-sink reverse osmosis page covers upkeep, wastewater and the other certified model.