Water Quality Report · Updated May 12, 2026
BURBANK-CITY, WATER DEPT.
BURBANK-CITY, WATER DEPT. delivers tap water graded D (62/100) by TapWaterSafety.org. The utility serves approximately 105,603 residents in BURBANK, California using surface water (purchased). The most significant water quality concerns are: Haloacetic acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline; Chromium (hexavalent) significantly above health guideline; Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline; Arsenic detected. For questions, the utility can be reached at 818-238-3558.
Is BURBANK tap water safe to drink?
BURBANK-CITY, WATER DEPT. delivers tap water that earns a grade of D (62/100) from TapWaterSafety.org — a below-average rating, with multiple concerns including haloacetic acids (haa5) significantly above health guideline.
The utility serves 105,603 residents in BURBANK, drawing from surface water (purchased).
Public testing data identifies 17 contaminants in this water above EWG's health-based guidelines, including: Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Chromium (hexavalent), Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Haloacetic acids (HAA9), Arsenic*, Nitrate and nitrite, Nitrate, Uranium, Dibromochloromethane, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromoacetic acid, Bromochloroacetic acid, Bromoform, Chloroform, Trichloroacetic acid, Radium, combined (-226 and -228)*, 1,4-Dioxane. For most residents, a properly certified home filter at the kitchen tap is the most cost-effective way to reduce exposure to whatever's in your water. See our filter recommendations below, matched specifically to this utility's contaminant profile.
Quick actions for BURBANK residents
Top concerns in this water
Based on the most recent EPA and EWG data, these are the most significant water quality issues for BURBANK-CITY, WATER DEPT..
Haloacetic acids (HAA5) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA5) detected at 35.1 ppb, 351x above the EWG health guideline of 0.1 ppb.
Chromium (hexavalent) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernChromium (hexavalent) detected at 3.39 ppb, 169x above the EWG health guideline of 0.02 ppb.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernTotal trihalomethanes (TTHMs) detected at 8.15 ppb, 54x above the EWG health guideline of 0.15 ppb.
Arsenic detected
Moderate concernArsenic detected at 0.16 ppb.
Contact BURBANK-CITY, WATER DEPT.
Reach the utility directly for service issues, water quality concerns, or to request your Consumer Confidence Report.
General Contact
Treatment Plant
Recommended water filters for BURBANK
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in this water supply.
Carbon block (NSF/ANSI 42 + 53)
$40-$750Activated carbon is highly effective for disinfection byproducts like TTHM and HAA5.
Reverse Osmosis
$249-$750Arsenic is most effectively removed by reverse osmosis. Some specialized adsorptive filters also work.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
Score breakdown
This utility's overall score of 62/100 breaks down across five weighted components. Read the full methodology →
Contaminants detected — international standards comparison
Every contaminant detected, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal (the strictest US benchmark). Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
35.1 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 351× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
3.39 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 169× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
8.15 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 54× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
2.46 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 41× over |
| Arsenic* Heavy metal |
0.16 ppb | 0.004 | 10.0 | 10 | 10 | 0.004 | — | 40× over |
| Nitrate and nitrite Inorganic |
5.6 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 40× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
5.14 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 37× over |
| Uranium Radiological |
11.35 pCi/L | 0.43 | 20.0 | 30 | 30 | 0.43 | — | 26× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
2.48 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 25× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
1.21 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 20× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.247 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 8.2× over |
| Bromochloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.143 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 7.1× over |
| Bromoform Disinfection byproduct |
3.5 ppb | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 7.0× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
0.71 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.8× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.153 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1.5× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228)* Radiological |
0.07 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 1.4× over |
| 1,4-Dioxane Semi-volatile organic compound |
0.44 ppb | 0.35 | — | — | 50 | 1 | — | 1.3× over |
| Chlorate Disinfection byproduct |
110.1 ppb | 210.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
3.27 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Bromochloromethane Other |
0.00855 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
5.49 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.026 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Barium Heavy metal |
82.5 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane Other |
7.6e-05 ppb | 0.0007 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Aluminum Heavy metal |
16.6 ppb | 600.0 | — | 200 | — | 600 | — | Below guideline |
| Manganese* Heavy metal |
0.733 ppb | 100.0 | — | 50 | 80 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) PFAS |
5.32 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluoropentanoic Acid (PFPeA) PFAS |
4.27 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) PFAS |
1.79 ppt | 1000.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.891 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Chromium (total) Heavy metal |
1.07 ppb | — | 100.0 | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.482 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| n-Nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) Other |
0.00312 ppb | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines (4th ed.), California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
BURBANK-CITY, WATER DEPT. service area
This water system serves 1 community in Los Angeles County, California. Click any city for its dedicated tap water quality page.
Find the right filter for BURBANK water
Browse filter categories by water-quality concern. Each option below is NSF-certified for the matched contaminant type.