REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Action to Accept the 2022 Report on the City's Water Quality Relative to Public Health Goals
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Promote Sustainability and Environmental Protection
BACKGROUND
Pursuant to the California Safe Drinking Water Act (California Health and Safety Code Section 116470), the City has been required to prepare a report on water quality, known as the Public Health Goals (PHG) report, every three years since 1998. Accordingly, the City must, at this time, hold a public hearing to accept the 2022 Report on the City's Water Quality Report Relative to Public Health Goals ("2022 PHG Report") and respond to public comment regarding the 2022 PHG Report. The City continues to comply with all health-based drinking water standards as required by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Division of Drinking Water (DDW) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), part of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal-EPA), has adopted PHGs for several dozen constituents of drinking water, set at a level where no known anticipated adverse effects on health occur, with an added margin of safety. The attached report addresses the presence of constituents for which the OEHHA has set a PHG. The report uses the existing Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) adopted by the USEPA where the OEHHA has not adopted a PHG for a currently regulated contaminant.
Both MCLGs and PHGs are goals based solely on public health risk considerations. PHGs are not enforceable and are not required to be met by any public water system. PHGs differ from Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), which are enforceable drinking water standards established by the USEPA and the SWRCB-DDW. While PHGs are based solely on public health considerations, MCLs are based upon additional factors such as the capabilities for analytical detection, available treatment technology, ben...
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