Monterey County | Public water system SAFER profile
Data date: July 31, 2026
Page 1 of 3

Monterey County public water systems

Status classification

Share of listed systems, followed by the count, reported population, and funding in each status.

Failing11%
At-Risk26%
Potentially At-Risk12%
Not At-Risk49%
Failing
At-Risk
Potentially At-Risk
Not At-Risk
Not Assessed
Systems
18
44
21
82
4
Population
5,029
16,323
17,581
187,450
216,194
Funding since 2017
$15M
$1M
$0
$37K
$0

Key figures

169
public water systems
442,577
reported population
79%
serve 500 people or fewer
$16M
reported funding since 2017

System locations

Points show reported system locations. They do not represent service-area boundaries.

Each point represents one system record. Nearby or overlapping points can conceal multiple systems.

Summary

Monterey County has 169 public water systems in the SAFER dataset. Of these, 62 (37%) are classified as Failing or At-Risk.

Those systems report serving 21,352 people. The county profile is also shaped by small systems: 133 systems serve 500 people or fewer.

4 systems are listed as Not Assessed, serving 216,194 people, so Not Assessed should not be read as a low-risk classification.

Reported funding since 2017 totals $16M across 5 systems. Technical assistance funding totals $5M.

System counts and reported population

Not Assessed systems make up 2% of listed systems and 49% of reported population. That population sits in a few large systems outside the SAFER assessment’s scope, which generally have more capacity, so this reflects scope rather than hidden risk.

Monterey County | Public water system SAFER profile
Data date: July 31, 2026
Page 2 of 3

Risk profile

Risk in Monterey County is distributed across four dimensions. Accessibility contributes the largest share of the combined weighted risk score at 38%. Across all individual indicators, No intertie appears most often, affecting 156 of 165 assessed systems.

Water Quality
36%
of combined weighted risk
State 32% · ▲ 4 pts
Most common flagWater quality trends toward MCL
Accessibility
38%
of combined weighted risk
State 36% · ▲ 2 pts
Most common flagNo intertie
Affordability
15%
of combined weighted risk
State 17% · ▼ 3 pts
Most common flagHousehold socioeconomic burden
TMF Capacity
11%
of combined weighted risk
State 15% · ▼ 3 pts
Most common flagTotal net annual income

Water Quality

Water Quality accounts for 36% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Water quality trends toward MCL appears in 59 of 165 assessed systems. Sources exceeding an MCL is next, appearing in 37 of 165 assessed systems.

Each indicator was assessed for 165 systems.

Accessibility

Accessibility accounts for 38% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. No intertie appears in 156 of 165 assessed systems. Limited water sources is next, appearing in 75 of 165 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 152 to 165 assessed systems.

Affordability

Affordability accounts for 15% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Household socioeconomic burden appears in 74 of 165 assessed systems. Extreme water bill is next, appearing in 31 of 158 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 158 to 165 assessed systems.

TMF Capacity

TMF Capacity accounts for 11% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Total net annual income appears in 60 of 161 assessed systems. Operating ratio is next, appearing in 49 of 161 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 147 to 165 assessed systems.

Monterey County | Public water system SAFER profile
Data date: July 31, 2026
Page 3 of 3

Patterns and context

The countywide totals hide important differences among systems. The panels below show how SAFER status varies by system size and service-area economic status, what conditions appear among Failing systems, and how reported funding is distributed across the 169 systems in Monterey County.

Status by system size

SAFER status within each population group

Among systems serving 500 people or fewer, 55 of 133 are Failing or At-Risk. This size group has the county’s highest concentration of high-concern classifications.

Economic context

Orange shows Failing or At-Risk systems within each service-area group

DAC and SDAC service areas contain 84 of 169 listed systems. Within those two groups, 33 systems are Failing or At-Risk.

Conditions among Failing systems

A system can appear under more than one condition

Frequently listed primary analytes

  • Nitrate12
  • Arsenic4
  • 1,2,3-Trichloropropane2
  • Nitrate-Nitrite1
  • Tthm1

Among 18 Failing systems, 16 report primary MCL violation. The most frequently listed primary analytes are Nitrate, Arsenic, and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane.

Reported funding

Totals since 2017 and number of systems reporting funding

Funding since 2017 totals $16M across 5 systems. Failing systems account for 92% of that total. Reported technical assistance funding adds $5M.

Key takeaways

37%

of systems are Failing or At-Risk

That represents 62 systems reporting service to 21,352 people. That is above the statewide average of 33%.

38%

of weighted risk comes from Accessibility

The most widespread individual flag is no intertie, found in 156 of 165 assessed systems. Statewide, Accessibility accounts for 36% of weighted risk.

79%

of systems serve 500 people or fewer

Small systems account for 133 of the county’s 169 listed systems. That is above the statewide average of 61%.