REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Action to Accept the 2025 Report on the City's Water Quality Relative to Public Health Goals
Report
BACKGROUND
Pursuant to the California Safe Drinking Water Act (Health and Safety Code Section 116470), the city is required to prepare a Public Health Goals (PHG) Report on water quality every three years. Since 1998, the city has complied with this requirement. The city must hold a public hearing to accept the 2025 Report on the City's Water Quality Relative to Public Health Goals (2025 PHG Report) and to respond to any public comments. The City continues to comply with all health-based drinking water standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Division of Drinking Water-State Water Resources Control Board (DDW).
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), part of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), has established PHGs for over 100 drinking water constituents. PHGs are set at levels where no known or expected adverse health effects occur, with an added margin of safety. The attached report covers the constituents with an OEHHA-established PHG. If OEHHA has not set a PHG for a regulated contaminant, the report uses the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) from the USEPA.
Both PHGs and MCLGs are public health goals only. They are not enforceable standards, and water systems are not required to meet them. In contrast, Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are enforceable drinking water standards established by the USEPA and the DDW. While PHGs and MCLGs are based solely on health considerations, they also consider factors such as laboratory detection capabilities, available treatment technology, benefits, and costs.
DISCUSSION
The city has used drinking water quality data collected from 2022 through 2024 to prepare the 2025 PHG Report. Regulations require a public report whenever a PHG or MCLG is exceeded. Analytical evidence fro...
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