Laserfiche WebLink
Public Works Agency <br />www.santa-ana.org/pw <br />Item # 23 <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> Staff Report <br />November 4, 2025 <br />TOPIC: Public Works Water Quality Report and Public Health Goals <br />AGENDA TITLE <br />Public Hearing – Approve the Report on Water Quality Relative to the Public Health <br />Goals for Public Distribution <br />Legal notice published in the OC Reporter on October 24, 2025. <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Approve the City of Santa Ana 2025 Public Health Goals Report for Public Distribution. <br />GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No <br />DISCUSSION <br />The Public Works Agency Water Resources Division (PWA) operates and maintains the <br />City’s water and sanitary sewer systems. The water system is comprised of <br />approximately 480 miles of water main, 21 groundwater wells, seven pump stations, 10 <br />reservoirs with a storage capacity of 49 million gallons, four pressure regulating <br />stations, and seven connection points to Metropolitan Water District. The system has an <br />average daily demand of 30 million gallons from its roughly 45,500 metered service <br />connections. <br />Background <br />Public water systems are highly regulated to ensure the safety and reliability of drinking <br />water. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) establishes <br />Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for various substances to protect public health. <br />All public water systems, including the City of Santa Ana’s, must comply with these <br />stringent federal standards. <br />In addition, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental <br />Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) establishes Public Health Goals (PHGs) for <br />contaminants in drinking water. PHGs represent aspirational targets, set at <br />concentrations far lower than MCLs, that public water systems are encouraged, but not <br />required, to meet. Achieving PHGs may be technically feasible; however, doing so is <br />often impractical due to the high cost and limited public health benefits relative to <br />existing standards.