Cudahy Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Cudahy, California, in Los Angeles County in the densely populated southeast LA industrial corridor near Maywood and Bell, receives its municipal water from the City of Cudahy Public Works, purchasing wholesale supply from the Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD), which blends Metropolitan Water District (MWD) imported water with locally produced Central Basin groundwater. CBMWD manages the Central Basin groundwater replenishment program, recharging the local aquifer with treated imported water through the spreading grounds along the Rio Hondo channel.

The moderately soft 61 mg/L hardness and low TDS of 134.8 mg/L reflect a supply system dominated by State Water Project (SWP) import. SWP water originates from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and drains the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range watersheds — relatively soft water (90–120 mg/L) that is further softened through MWD's treatment process at Weymouth and Jensen plants. The Central Basin local groundwater is somewhat harder from contact with the Pliocene alluvial sediments beneath the Los Angeles coastal plain, but CBMWD's blend ratio and treatment produces a notably soft finished supply for the southeast LA corridor. The result is one of the softer LA metropolitan supplies.

At 61 mg/L, Cudahy's water is moderately soft — appliance-friendly and comfortable for household use. Soap lathers well, kettle and water heater scale accumulates slowly over months, and the dishwasher produces clean glassware with minimal rinse aid. Semi-annual descaling of heating appliances is adequate. The low PFAS level of 3.6 ppt is a favorable result for this industrially dense Los Angeles corridor — CBMWD's groundwater management and SWP import dilution keep PFAS concentrations well below regional problematic levels.