The City of Palo Alto Water System, under the City Department of Utilities, provides water for about 66,721 residents living in the area of Palo Alto, California. Established in 1894, the City of Palo Alto Utilities currently obtains its supply from San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) via the purchase of treated surface water. SFPUC uses water that originates from Yosemite National Park snowmelt flowing down the Tuolumne River to storage in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and supplemented by Calaveras Reservoir (Alameda and Santa Clara counties), San Antonio Reservoir (Sunol), nearby local watersheds and upcountry non-Hetch Hetchy sources (UNHHS).

Palo Alto Drinking Water Quality

Consumer Confidence Water Quality Reports

Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA requires Palo Alto Utilities to assess local water quality each year and distribute a Consumer Confidence Water Quality Report. At WaterZen, we review these reports and make the information available, in a concise, straightforward, and easy-to-understand way.

Excellent

WaterZen Rating

Lead levels in the drinking water of some cities across the United States are too high, potentially creating public-health issues for the people living in those areas.

What about Palo Alto Water? How much lead is in your drinking water? And how do those levels compare to other cities in the state? We examined data from hundreds of cities across the nation to understand and grade your water quality.

As you can see, Palo Alto Water received the best-possible grade because the amounts of contaminants found in the water supply were better than the Public Health Goal and most other water providers we've analyzed.

Excellent

WaterZen Rating

Lead levels in the drinking water of some cities across the United States are too high, potentially creating public-health issues for the people living in those areas.

Contact Palo Alto Utilities Customer Service

Have a Question, Issue or Comment?

Main Customer Service

Physical Address:
250 Hamilton Ave
Palo Alto, California 94301

650-329-2598
UtilitiesCommunications@cityofpaloalto.org

Emergency (24 hours - broken water main or pipeline, etc.)
650-329-2579

Pay Your Palo Alto Water Bill

Already have an account?

If you already have an account, you just need to login to the Palo Alto Water site. Palo Alto Water accepts credit cards, debit, and direct deposit. Click here to login.

Want to create a new account?

You can create a new account on the Palo Alto Water website. Once you create the account, you can setup payment with credit, debit, or direct deposit. Click here to create an account.

Want to pay without an account?

You can make a one-time payment without creating an account. You will need to have your credit or debit card in order to make the one time payment. Click here to make a one time payment.

How to Start Palo Alto Water Service

Starting Your Service

When you move to a new home in Palo Alto, you'll most likely already have running water, but you'll still need to set up water service with the Palo Alto Water. Luckily, Palo Alto has made it pretty simple with the following online form. Starting service generally takes just two business days.

Click here to fill out a Start Service Form.

Stopping Your Service

When you move out of a home in Palo Alto, you'll need to stop your water service with the Palo Alto Water, so you don't keep getting billed. Simply fill out the following online form. Stopping service normally takes just two business days.

Click here to fill out a Stop Service Form.

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