California American Water Surpasses State and Federal Water Standards in three California areas

California American Water (CAW) recently announced and published the 2017 Consumer Confidence Reports which indicate excellent water quality in three California divisions/districts. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires community water systems to deliver a Consumer Confidence Report, also known as an annual drinking water quality report, to their customers, which provide Americans with information about their local drinking water quality. These annual results compare a water district/agency’s water quality with standards established by the California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, as well as those of the U.S. EPA.

The three CAW divisions/districts with excellent water quality include:

• The Sacramento District
• The Monterey District, and
• The Southern Division which includes areas within Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles and San Diego.

“We are pleased to announce that our 2017 reports demonstrate excellent water quality that meet and exceed all regulatory standards,” said Rich Svindland, president of California American Water. “We hope that customers will find these reports as educational and helpful in answering the questions they may have about the state of their water.”

The annual Consumer Confidence Reports provide information on public health information, drinking water sources, substances detected in the water and the levels of those substances. Commonly asked questions and answers concerning drinking water are also included. The reports are also continuing with a new design implemented last year that feature illustrated sections of common contaminants and simple-to-read explanations of the various technical terms within the document.

The reports also provide information on:

• A brief summary of the risk of contamination of the local drinking water source;
• The regulated contaminant found in local drinking water;
• The potential health effects of any contaminant detected in violation of an EPA health standard;
• An accounting of the system’s actions to restore safe drinking water;
• An educational statement for vulnerable populations about avoiding Cryptosporidium;
• Educational information on nitrate, arsenic, or lead in areas where these contaminants may be a concern;
• Phone numbers of additional sources of information, including the water system;

The reports may also have state specific information.

Consumer Confidence Reports must be sent by your water supplier by July 1 of each year. If you fail to receive your report by July 1 you can either call your local water supplier or you may also find your report using EPA’s CCR search tool at: https://ofmpub.epa.gov/apex/safewater/f?p=136:102. The EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline number is: 1-800-426-4791.