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Not health advice. Contact your local water utility for concerns.
Data from EPA Water Quality Reports. For official information, contact your water utility or health department.
Side-by-side EPA records for the two public water systems · EPA SDWIS/ECHO 2026Q2 · UCMR5 (2023–2026, July 2026 release) · SYR4 six-year review 2012–2019 · methodology
Los Angeles has the better EPA record — grade A (100/100) vs grade D (68/100).
LOS ANGELES-CITY, DEPT. OF WATER & POWER · serves 3,875,566
MDWASA - MAIN SYSTEM · serves 2,377,460
| Metric | Los Angeles | Miami |
|---|---|---|
| Grade / score | A · 100/100 | D · 68/100 |
| Health-based EPA violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 0 |
| Health-based violations unresolved | 0 | 0 |
| Monitoring / reporting violations, last 5 yrs | 0 | 6 |
| Lead 90th percentile (action level 15 ppb) | 3.9 ppb (2021–2023) | 3.1 ppb (2023–2023) |
| PFAS detected (UCMR5 2023–2026) | None detected | 6:2 FTS, 8:2 FTS, PFBA, PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA — PFOA/PFOS ≥ 4 ppt |
| Primary water source | Surface water | Groundwater |
| Population served | 3,875,566 | 2,377,460 |
| EPA PWSID | CA1910067 | FL4130871 |
Green = the better value where the two systems differ. Lead and PFAS figures describe water leaving the plant, not any individual tap.
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Los Angeles — it scores 100/100 (grade A) against 68/100 (grade D) on EPA records. Neither system has a health-based EPA violation in the last five years
Los Angeles grades A (100/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 3.9 ppb, no PFAS detected.
Miami grades D (68/100): no health-based EPA violations in the last five years, lead 90th percentile 3.1 ppb, PFAS detected (6:2 FTS, 8:2 FTS, PFBA, PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA).