Free testing program for well-based drinking water at rental properties available statewide

CENTRAL COAST REGION, Calif. (KEYT) – On Friday, an enforcement advisory was issued regarding free water quality testing available for well-based drinking water at rental properties across California.

According to a June 2025 report by the California State Water Resources Control Board, about 95 percent of Californians get their drinking water from a public or municipal source.

If you get your drinking water from a private well, the state water management organization recommends testing your well water once a year.

Some cities, such as Santa Barbara, have decades-long programs established to ensure long-term access to drinking water.

For those who get their drinking water from a well at a rental property, a state law passed in 2024, AB 2454, created a free well water quality testing program that requires landlords test the drinking water wells at their rental properties.

Landlords are legally required to share the results with current residents within ten days, particiapte in any available free remediation program as well as provide information to tenants from the State Water Board's website on how to read the results shared the Attorney General's Office.

Additionally, landlords are prohibited from charging tenants any fees or increasing rent for participating in the water testing program added the Attorney General's Office.

"Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental human right. Everyone deserves clean, safe water in their home. Without systematic testing, contamination can remain hidden, leaving households unknowingly exposed and cut off from solutions that already exist," explained California Attorney General Rob Bonta in an enforcement letter about the water testing program. "AB 2425 ensures that free, accessible water testing and treatment programs are available, so no one is left in the dark about their water quality and every community has the opportunity to protect their health and well-being. I urge landlords with drinking water wells to follow the law and test their wells to provide safe drinking water to protect public health and the environment from the threat of water contamination."

The state law applies to an estimated one million Californians and the regions most impacted include the Central Valley and Central Coast regions were wells are commonly used to tap into local groundwater noted the Office of Attorney General in an enforcement letter issued Friday.

"I am issuing this enforcement advisory to remind landlords with drinking water wells on their properties of the requirements established under Assembly Bill 2454 (2024) ("AB 2454"), codified in Health and Safety Code section 116688, and to help tenants understand their rights," opened Friday's letter. "AB 2454 requires landlords with wells to participate in free programs for well testing that are available in
their region and, where applicable, provide tenants with access to safe drinking water. The State Water Board's 2025 Drinking Water Needs Assessment found that nearly one-third of private wells are at risk of violating drinking water standards. The State Water Board and Regional Water Boards provide no-cost domestic well testing and programs to provide safe drinking water in certain areas with significant water contamination".

For residents of the Central Coast region, this website was set up for those seeking more information and Friday's advisory was also provided in: Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Punjabi, and Korean.

Groundwater can contain multiple contaminants that can be detected through testing.

The State Water Board's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program created fact sheets about the most common ones including:

• Arsenic
• Bacteria Indicators
• Benzene
• Boron
• Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP)
• Hexavalent Chromium (Cr 6)
• Lead
• Mercury
• Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE)
• Nitrate
• N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
• Perchlorate
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
• Radionuclides
• Salinity
• Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)
• Trichloroethylene (TCE)
• 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP)
• 1,4 Dioxane

"Protecting public health is our top priority, and a huge part of achieving that is ensuring people have information about potential health risks in their environment, especially in their homes," shared Yvonne West, Director of the Office of Enforcement for the State Water Resources Control Board. "Compliance with this new law means that tenants will get the benefit of available well testing and alternative water supply programs, at no cost to landlords. It is an important step toward strengthening the protection of public health in these communities."