Vernon’s Water Department provides drinking water to the City at some of the lowest rates in the region. We serve more than 800 customers and distribute approximately 1.8 billion gallons of water annually.

Water Safety

VPU is committed to providing high-quality, safe drinking water to its residents and businesses. We are proud that our system has received the highest possible rating from the Insurance Service Organization, a testament to our dedication to excellence in utility management. 

VPU is fully compliant with all state and federal water safety regulations and reporting requirements. Our annual Water Quality Reports (Consumer Confidence Reports), available below, provide a detailed look at your drinking water from the previous year. These reports clearly explain where your water comes from, how it is tested, what is in it, and how it compares with rigorous state and federal standards.

Announcement (July 2025): The recently released 2024 Water Quality Report includes information regarding the presence of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in the groundwater that the city draws from to serve parts of the Vernon community. To give a sense of representation, the detection amount of 4.0 PFOS is equivalent to approximately four droplets in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

PFOS is a manmade substance that has been extensively produced and used in the United States in consumer products such as carpets, clothing, food packaging, fire-retardant foams, cookware, and other materials designed to be waterproof, stain-resistant, or non-stick. The concentrations of PFOS detected in our groundwater supply remains below the Notification and Response Levels established by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board). Notification Levels are health-based advisory thresholds for substances in drinking water that do not have established Maximum Contaminant Levels.

VPU will continue to monitor the affected source to ensure the levels do not become elevated. To learn more, please email jmoreno@cityofvernonca.gov.

VPU also plans for the future through our Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP), a strategic and comprehensive document that outlines how Vernon manages its water resources to ensure a sustainable and reliable supply of water for its businesses and residents. Our goal is to balance water supply, demand, and quality while addressing challenges such as growth, climate change, and the evolving water resource conditions. 

Furthermore, VPU has completed its initial lead service line inventory as required by the U.S. EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. VPU has determined that there are no lead or galvanized service lines needing replacement, which is documented in VPU's Written Statement for Non-Lead Initial Inventories. The full statement is available in the folder below.

VPU is dedicated to providing safe, high-quality water and upholding full regulatory compliance for the health of our community.

Vernon's Water Infrastructure

Vernon’s water distribution system has an average pressure of about 75 pounds per square inch, and consists of 49 miles of pipe, 7 wells, 6 ground-level reservoirs, 1 elevated water storage tank and an underground reservoir. The system has a total storage capacity of 16.6 million gallons.  The City of Vernon’s water distribution system also has a direct connection with the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), which provides a supplemental source of imported water, as well as emergency supplies, when required.

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