TEST CASE
Under ‘Unsafe Water Alert,’ L.A. Residents Reach for Testing Kits to Monitor Water Quality at Home
The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power has warned customers to avoid using tap water in the wake of the recent wildfires
By Tim Chan
Tim Chan
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January 11, 2025
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The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have unleashed new concerns over air quality and now, water quality too, with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) issuing an “Unsafe Water Alert” on Friday.
The LADWP bulletin advises residents in the 90272 zip code and adjacent communities to not drink or cook with tap water until further notice. The zip code incorporates the heavily-destroyed Pacific Palisades area and surrounding neighborhoods that could include Malibu, Santa Monica and Brentwood.
Per the LADWP, potential “fire-related contaminants, including benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOC) may have entered the water system.” There are also fears that deposits of ash and soot from the wildfire smoke could be polluting the water supply, not to mention chemical contamination from melted plastic and structures.
One way people have been trying to see if their water is safe: picking up a water test kit, to determine whether the water in their house (or any water for that matter) is okay to drink.
These tests — often found in the form of color-coded strips — promise to help detect contaminants in your water, while also testing for pH levels, chlorine, lead and even e. coli. Simply dip the test strips into water and then remove to see your results (you’ll want to make sure the strip is completely submerged for a few seconds to ensure accuracy). A color change on the strip indicates the presence of some contamination.
But while these kits are now readily available online, how effective are they really? After all, we’ve taken these water strips on camping trips and vacations to test well water, hotel water and lake water, but are they useful in the case of California’s wildfires?
According to Andrew J. Whelton, Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Ecological Engineering at Purdue, “Testing for disinfectant like chlorine, or heavy metals isn’t a priority — we haven’t seen heavy metals being a problem in public water systems after fires,” he tells Rolling Stone.
Instead, “The main priority is testing water for VOCs or volatile organic compounds,” which Whelton says usually requires “specialized water tests that require commercial laboratories to carry-out. There are very specific water sample collection procedures, containers, shipping, and then lab analysis equipment,” he explains. “If any of that isn’t done correctly, the information provided to the person is useless.”
These at-home water testing strips could be good for basic use, but “unless you have a private drinking water well, a lot of those test kits aren’t that helpful,” Whelton says.
The at-home kits are helpful for say, testing during water main breaks, identifying the presence of pesticides, or investigating strange odors (often a sign of high sulfate levels), but Whelton, who is also Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, warns that “home water treatment devices are not approved for treating extremely chemically contaminated water.”
Here are some of the current drinking water test kits available online, as well as a look at what they can actually test for.
Bestprod 20-in 1-Drinking Water Testing Kit (120 Strips)
$24.99
This drinking water testing kit is Amazon’s current bestseller, with more than 7,000 units sold in the last month alone, per the site.
We’ve used these water test strips before (particularly to test water quality when camping) and the results are easy to read and understand. Reviewers agree, giving this kit a 4.5-star rating (out of five) from thousands of verified shoppers.
Varify 17-in-1 Complete Drinking Water Test Kit + 2 Bacteria Tester Kits
$26.97 $32.99 18% off
This water test kit includes 100 testing strips for alkaline, lead, copper and more, plus two bacteria tests for more dangerous contaminants.
What we like: the test strips come in five separate sealed packages, ensuring that the strips stay clean and fresh for use. The bacteria test, meantime, is easy to do at home, with results in less than 48 hours.
TESTPERT Water Testing Kits for Drinking Water
$17.99 $18.99 5% off
This drinking water test kit is currently on sale at Amazon, and is an easy pickup if you’re worried about water quality at home.
The set gets you 125 water test strips, with an easy-to-identify color-coded chart for analysis. Simply submerge your strip into a glass of water for 2-3 seconds, then remove to read the results.
What we like: Amazon says TESTPERT has offset the carbon emissions and footprint from the production of these testing strips.
Officials recommend using a water testing strip for drinking water at least twice a week, to ensure that your water is safe for you and your family to use. They have also advised people to not try to treat tap water themselves, adding that even using a traditional water filter (like a Brita system) will not make the water safe.
As for California, until more testing is done as to what volatile compounds have been deposited by the wildfires, Whelton advises people to follow local water use warnings.
Here are some other tips on water use from the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power during wildfire season:
- Do not use tap water
- Limit use of hot water
- Limit shower time/bathing, and do not take hot baths (use lukewarm water and
ventilate area) - If using a dishwasher to wash dishes use the air-dry setting
- Wash clothing in cold water
- If the clothes dryer does not vent outside, avoid using it (dry laundry outdoors)
- Do not use hot tubs or swimming pools
- Use proper ventilation when using hot water indoors
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