Searching “water testing near me” usually means wanting a straight answer about what is actually in your tap. The real answer comes from a laboratory panel run on named EPA methods that reports an exact number for each compound, and the KETOS lab serving Sunnyvale and the South Bay runs exactly that kind of panel from a kit that ships to your door.
What Should Water Testing in the South Bay Actually Cover?
A useful answer to “water testing near me” comes down to what gets measured: which EPA methods a lab runs, how low its detection limits go, how much ground one sample covers, and how clearly the report reads.
This page does not walk through that full comparison framework; see how to choose a water testing lab for the deeper five-factor read. For the Sunnyvale lab’s own address, hours line, and shipping logistics, see the KETOS water testing lab in Sunnyvale.
What Does a Lab Panel Cover That a Test Strip Cannot?
A test strip changes color across a handful of parameters. A laboratory panel reports an exact number for each compound against its federal or state benchmark, which is the only way to answer a question like “is my lead under 15 ppb” or “is my PFOA under 4 ppt.”
That distinction matters most for anything regulated at trace levels. PFAS carries a federal limit of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, a number no color-change strip can resolve; reaching it takes mass spectrometry, the same instrument class behind EPA 200.8 for metals and EPA 537.1, 533, and 1633 for PFAS. A 2023 USGS study of 716 taps nationwide found PFAS in at least 45% of them, evidence produced by lab instruments capable of resolving trace levels.
Concerned about contaminants in your water?
Get water testing from KETOS KELP using EPA-certified methodology, results you can trust, backed by real data.
Order a Water Test →Does South Bay Tap Water Differ by Where You Live?
Yes. Sunnyvale blends water from three sources, SFPUC’s Hetch Hetchy system, Valley Water’s treated surface water, and six City-owned groundwater wells, and the City’s 2024 Water Quality Report shows measurably different mineral and nitrate levels depending on which source reaches a given address.
Sunnyvale sits in Santa Clara County, and the City’s water supply map divides the service area into an SFPUC zone in the north, a Valley Water zone in the south, and a blended zone in between, with local groundwater blended into the supply throughout the City. The 2024 numbers show real differences between those sources:
- Nitrate (as nitrogen): groundwater averaged 3.0 ppm (range 1.8-6.3 ppm); Valley Water and SFPUC both averaged not detected, with SFPUC ranging up to 0.7 ppm. The federal and state limit is 10 ppm, so all three sources sit well under it, but not at the same number.
- Hardness: groundwater averaged 290 ppm, in the “very hard” range; Valley Water averaged 111 ppm and SFPUC averaged 57 ppm, both “moderately hard.” A household on the blended zone can see either character depending on the mix reaching that week.
- Fluoride: SFPUC-sourced water is fluoridated at the State Water Board’s 0.7 mg/L optimum; Valley Water and City groundwater are not fluoridated by the City, and 2024 groundwater fluoride averaged 0.15 ppm.
- PFAS: under EPA’s fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, the City monitored its water from April 2024 to January 2025 and did not detect any of the monitored chemicals, including regulated PFAS, in that citywide sampling.
- Lead: the City’s 2022 Lead and Copper Rule sampling found a 90th percentile result of not detected, with 0 of 54 samples above the 15 ppb federal action level; that figure describes the distribution system, not any single home’s plumbing.
A citywide report describes the source water and the distribution system. It does not describe the plumbing inside a specific house, a well’s individual condition, or a fixture that has sat unused. An address-specific lab test closes that gap.
What Should You Test For First?
What to test first depends on your water source and your household, more than on which lab is closest.
| Situation | Panel | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| City-water home, first test | Essential | Lead, arsenic, copper and more heavy metals; hardness and minerals | $199 + shipping |
| Want the fuller mineral and chemistry picture | Complete | Adds aluminum, cadmium, mercury; fluoride, nitrates, bromides, phosphates; 35+ parameters | $249 + shipping |
| On a private well | Real Estate Well Water | 10 metals plus alkalinity, hardness, TDS, fluoride, nitrates, nitrite, sulfate, chloride | $199 + shipping |
| Concerned about PFAS specifically | PFAS Basic | 3 PFAS compounds plus 6 other parameters | $280 |
| Want metals, minerals, and PFAS from one sample | Ultimate | Metals, minerals, and PFAS in a single test | $549 to $699 |
- If you are on city water and this is your first test, choose Essential at $199 plus shipping; it covers the metals and minerals a Sunnyvale CCR cannot tell you about your own plumbing.
- If you live in the blended zone and want to know whether your water leans hard or soft this month, choose Complete, which adds the fuller mineral panel.
- If you are on a private well, this page focuses on city-supplied water; see our well water testing guide and how often to test well water for well-specific guidance, which this page does not cover.
- If PFAS is the concern, choose PFAS Basic at $280; the City’s own monitoring found none in the citywide supply, but service lines, fixtures, and treatment systems inside a specific home sit outside that citywide sampling.
- If you want zero blind spots in one sample, choose Ultimate at $549 to $699 depending on scope.
Where Does Your Sample Go After You Order?
You collect the sample with the kit KELP mails you and ship it back with a prepaid return label; the lab logs it, analyzes it, and reports results digitally within 5 to 7 business days of receiving it.
This page does not cover the full walk-through of chain of custody and lab handling; see what actually happens to your drinking water sample for that process end to end. Ready to see what is actually in your own tap? Order a KETOS KELP water test and get a digital report in 5 to 7 business days.
KETOS Environmental Lab Services
Name: KETOS Environmental Lab Services (KELP)
Address: 520 Mercury Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Phone: (408) 357-4745
Category: Water testing service
Hours: See current hours on the Google Business Profile
Map: Get directions to 520 Mercury Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “water testing near me” actually mean for South Bay homeowners?
It means finding a lab that runs named EPA methods with detection limits low enough to matter more than distance. A Sunnyvale lab like KETOS Environmental Lab Services serves the whole South Bay by mail and takes walk-in samples in Sunnyvale, so method and scope are what to check first.
Is Sunnyvale tap water safe?
The City’s 2024 water quality report states that Sunnyvale’s tap water met all state and federal drinking water health standards that year, and citywide PFAS monitoring under EPA’s fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule did not detect PFAS from April 2024 to January 2025. That citywide report does not cover an individual home’s plumbing, fixtures, or a well. An address-specific lab test answers that.
Does my water differ depending on where in Sunnyvale I live?
Yes. Homes on SFPUC-sourced water get fluoridated water with lower hardness (around 57 ppm in 2024), homes on Valley Water get unfluoridated moderately hard water (around 111 ppm), and homes drawing more from local groundwater see higher hardness (around 290 ppm) and higher nitrate (around 3.0 ppm, still well under the 10 ppm limit) than the treated sources.
Should I use a test strip or a lab test?
A strip gives a rough color-change read across a few parameters in minutes. A lab test reports an exact number for each compound against its federal or state benchmark, which is the only way to compare your water to a standard like the 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS limit or the 15 ppb lead action level.
Sources: City of Sunnyvale 2024 Water Quality Report via the State Water Resources Control Board’s electronic CCR portal (ear.waterboards.ca.gov, PWSID CA4310014); EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS, announced April 10, 2024 (epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas); USGS 2023 nationwide tap water PFAS study (usgs.gov, July 5, 2023); KELP product pages and prices from the verified facts register, checked 2026-09-16/17. All fetched 2026-09-17.
