The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) are tasked with establishing drinking water health standards, and water utilities are responsible for ensuring that the drinking water provided to their customers meets these federal and state drinking water standards. In 2015, the District’s water met all established drinking water health standards set by the USEPA and the SWRCB.
We also routinely test our water for the presence of coliform bacteria, an indicator organism that would alert us to any possible contaminants in the distribution system. Water samples are collected weekly from designated sample stations dispersed throughout the District. Each sample station location is representative of the water in the surrounding area to ensure that the entire system is being monitoring weekly for this critical indicator organism.
We pump water from several groundwater wells in the Purisima Formation, a series of aquifers that have naturally occurring iron, manganese, and arsenic. We treat this water to reduce these elements before it enters our distribution system. Another aquifer that we use as part of our supply source, the Aromas Red Sands Aquifer, has naturally occurring hexavalent chromium, also known as Chromium 6. In 2015, treatment of Chromium 6 continued at our demonstration scale treatment plant.
Our 2015 Consumer Confidence/Water Quality Report is meant to communicate which constituents were detected at a concentration at or above the detection levels.
Compounds that are tested for but not detected are not included in the Report. In addition, the report also lists other compounds of interest to our customers, such as sodium, hardness, and pH, among others.
Every employee and department here at the District plays a significant role in making sure we deliver water that meets each of the health standards by which drinking water is measured.
- Our Administration has stressed the importance of high quality drinking water, including it in our Mission Statement and facilitating the adoption of new technology and treatment processes.
- Our Engineering Department spends considerable time and energy in analyzing and evaluating water quality characteristics of particular water sources, as well as planning and implementing infrastructure updates.
- Our Water Treatment Operators make sure that our water treatment processes are functioning properly so that we can achieve water quality objectives before the water enters the distribution system.
- Our Construction & Maintenance team is committed to maintaining, repairing, and improving our distribution mains and service lines so that water quality integrity is maintained while it moves from our sources to your taps.
- Our Customer Service Department is dedicated to investigating customer inquiries that keep the District apprised of customer satisfaction in relation to water quality.
- Our Conservation Department informs and educates our customers of the importance and value of high quality drinking water in our region.
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Please take a few minutes and check out the 2015 Consumer Confidence/Water Quality Report on our website at: www.soquelcreekwater.org/waterqualityreports/2015wqr.pdf