Castaic Lake Water Agency and water retailers (CLWA Santa Clarita Water Division, Los Angeles County Waterworks District NO. 36, Newhall County Water District and Valencia Water Company) published an annual report Wednesday regarding Santa Clarita’s water quality.

This 2017 Annual Water Quality Report describes in detail the quality of local water supplies in the Santa Clarita Valley during 2016.

The State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water requires water agencies to provide all customers an annual report on the quality of drinking water and to show how it meets federal and state drinking water standards.

An executive summary of the report, which can be viewed here, contained the following important observations about our local water supply:

No E. coli was detected in any drinking water system in the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) last year and no water system was out of compliance with the Total Coliform Rule.

Additional tests did not detect the water-borne parasites Cryptosporidium parvum or Giardia lamblia in any sample of Castaic Lake water

Castaic Lake and local groundwater wells are tested at least annually for VOCs. Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) were found in trace amounts (below the MCL) at a few locations. Consumption of water containing TCE or PCE in excess of the MCL over many years may lead to liver problems and an increased risk of cancer.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants such as viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife;
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming;
• Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff and residential uses;
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals that are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural application and septic systems;
• and radioactive contaminants that can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

No traces of lead were detected in any source waters in the Santa Clarita Valley by any of the local water retailers. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing systems.

Arsenic, a metalloid, is present due to the natural erosion of the rocks that water travels over or through. While your drinking water meets the federal and state standard for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic.

The arsenic standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the USEPA and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Division of Drinking Water prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations and California law also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that provide protection for public health.

Additional information on bottled water is available on the California Department of Public Health website.