To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Phil Brun, Utilities Director
Prepared By: Joy Eldredge, Deputy Utilities Director
TITLE:
Title
Triennial Water Quality Report
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Receive the City’s Triennial Water Quality Report pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 116470, and determine this action is exempt from CEQA.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City of Napa Water Division performs extensive water quality monitoring before, during and after the various stages of the water treatment process. In addition, the Water Division performs weekly monitoring throughout the water storage and distribution system to ensure the water meets or exceeds all water quality regulatory requirements. Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are enforceable water quality standards that are established by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) that take into account analytical detection capability, treatment technology available, benefits, health effects, costs and practical implementation. The City’s water system met all health-based drinking water standards and maximum contaminant levels required by DDW and USEPA during the last three years.
In addition to MCLs, CDPH also sets lofty public health “goals” or PHGs that are idealistic targets that may be based on emerging data in limited studies (human or non-human.) These goals are not required to be met by any public water system. They are set without consideration of practical risk-management factors such as analytical detection levels, available treatment technology, benefits and costs. The goals are often set at zero or at levels that challenge laboratory analytical detection limits. The State has set public health goals for a total of 93 constituents.
State law requires large water systems, such as the City’s, to report every three years on whether at any time over the prior three-year period the water system exceeded any of the “public health goals”. The triennial report, covering years 2016 through 2018, is included as Attachment 1. The City met the PHG’s for 90 of the 93 constituents. As noted in the report, PHG’s for Coliform Bacteria, Copper, and Bromate were not met. For each of these constituents, the City is well below the required MCL and only slightly over the PHG.
In summary, the performance of City’s water system is extremely good and in compliance with all State and Federal drinking water regulations.
In fact, in recognition of the infeasibility of attainment of many of the public health goals Health and Safety Code Section 116470 (5)(d) states, “The department (of Public Health, now DDW) shall not require a public water system to take any action to reduce or eliminate any exceedance of a public health goal.” State law does require however that this information be presented to the public every three years.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
No immediate impacts. The water enterprise fund must meet operational needs, prioritize capital investments to ensure reliable service that meets or exceeds all regulatory standards, and work toward investments in supplemental treatment trains to improve water quality.
CEQA:
The Utilities Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 -Triennial Water Quality Report
ATCH 2 - Presentation Summarizing Triennial Water Quality Report
NOTIFICATION:
None