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Water Sources
<br />& Components
<br />1. What are the sources of the water Santa
<br />Ana delivers?
<br />The City of Santa Ana depends on two
<br />sources for the 16.3 billion gallons of water
<br />we supply each year-6z% is groundwater
<br />and 38% is imported water, purchased from
<br />the Metropolitan Water District of Southern
<br />California (MWD).
<br />The groundwater accumulates and is stored
<br />beneath the surface of the earth and then
<br />pumped to the surface by zo city-owned
<br />wells. MWD brings Colorado River water
<br />from Lake Havasu and runoff from the snow
<br />pack in the Sierra Nevada Range in Northern
<br />California. The water is then treated at either
<br />the Diener Filtration Plant in Yorba Linda or
<br />the Weymouth Filtration Plant in LaVerne
<br />before it is delivered to Santa Ana.
<br />There are seven MWD connections located in
<br />the City. Most of our customers receive a
<br />blending of the two sources, groundwater
<br />and imported water. For more details, see
<br />the Water Quality Standards for each of
<br />these sources in the data that follows.
<br />Groundwater and imported waterare listed in
<br />separate columns.
<br />z. What's in my drinking water?
<br />Your tap water may contain different types
<br />of chemicals (organic and inorganic), micro-
<br />scopic organisms (e.g., bacteria, algae, viruses)
<br />and radioactive materials (radionuclides),
<br />many of which are naturally occurring.
<br />Health agencies require monitoring for these
<br />constituents, because at certain levels they
<br />could make a person sick. The column
<br />marked "Parameter" lists the constituents
<br />found in the water used by Santa Ana.
<br />3. What are the maximum allowed levels for
<br />constituents in drinking water?
<br />Health agencies have maximum contaminant
<br />levels for constituents so that drinking water is
<br />safe and looks, tastes and smells good. A few
<br />constituents have the letters "TT" in the MCL
<br />column because they do not have a numerical
<br />MCL. Instead, they have certain treatment
<br />requirements that have to be met. One of
<br />the constituents, total chlorine residual, has
<br />an MRDL (maximum residual disinfection
<br />level) instead of an MCL
<br />The MRDL is the maximum level of a disco
<br />fectant added for water treatment that is
<br />allowed in water. While disinfectants are
<br />necessary to kill harmful microbes, drinking
<br />water regulations protect against too much
<br />disinfectant being added. Another Constitu-
<br />ent, turbidity, has a requirement that 9S per
<br />cent of the measurements taken must be
<br />below a certain number. Turbidity is a meas-
<br />ure of the cloudiness of the water We moni-
<br />tor it because it is a good indicator of the
<br />efficiency of the filtration system.
<br />y. Why are some of the constituents listed
<br />in the section labeled "Primary Stan-
<br />dards" and others in the "Secondary
<br />Standards"?
<br />Constituents that are grouped in the primary
<br />standards section may be unhealthy at cer-
<br />tain levels. Constituents that are grouped
<br />under the secondary standards section can
<br />affect the appearance, taste and smell of
<br />water, but do not affect the safety of the
<br />water unless they also have a primary standard,
<br />S. How do I know how much of a constituent is
<br />in my water and if it is at a safe level?
<br />With a few exceptions, if the AVERAGE
<br />amount of a constituent found in tap water
<br />over the course of a year is no greater than
<br />the MCL, then the regulatory requirements
<br />are considered to be satisfied. The highest
<br />and lowest levels measured over a year are
<br />shown in the RANGE. Requirements for
<br />safety, appearance, taste and smell are
<br />based on the AVERAGE levels recorded
<br />and not the RANGE.
<br />6. How do constituents get into our water?
<br />Drinking water (both tap water and bottled
<br />water) comes from rivers, lakes, streams,
<br />ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As
<br />water travels over the surface of the land or
<br />through the ground, it dissolves naturally
<br />occurring minerals and, in some cases, radio-
<br />active material, and can pick up substances
<br />resulting from the presence of animals or
<br />from human activity. The most likely source
<br />for each constituent is listed in the last column
<br />of the table.
<br />7. Are there any potential sources ofcon-
<br />tamination in our system?
<br />An assessment ofthe drinking water wells
<br />for the City of Santa Ana was completed in
<br />December 2oo6. The City wells are consid-
<br />ered most vulnerable to the following activi-
<br />ties associated with contaminants detected
<br />in the water supply: historic agricultural ac-
<br />tivities, golf courses, and application of fertil-
<br />izers. The Citys wells are considered most
<br />vulnerable to the following activities not as-
<br />sociated with detected contaminates chemi-
<br />cal/petroleum pipelines, chemical/petroleum
<br />processing/stores, dry cleaners, gas stations,
<br />junktstrap/salvage yards, metal plating/
<br />finishing/fabrication, plasticsisynthetics
<br />producers, and sewer collection systems.
<br />(Convnued; rom page i)
<br />vahon. It is an important role considering how
<br />essential water is to our public health, safety,
<br />and welfare.
<br />'Our city council and staff work diligently to
<br />provide, protect and preserve one of our most
<br />precious resources," adds Claudia Alvarez,
<br />Santa Ana's mayor pro tem, who is also presi-
<br />dent of the Orange County Water District. "As
<br />a community, we can all be good stewards of
<br />our natural resources Rather than buying
<br />bottled water, we can reduce our eco footprint
<br />by simply turning on our faucets and, at the
<br />same time, enjoy the healthiest and best tast-
<br />ng tap water possible."
<br />The Academy Awards of Water
<br />More than iSo people and an array of water
<br />officials from the U.S. and abroad attended the
<br />water tasting festival last month in Berkeley
<br />Springs, West Virginia. Touted as the "Academy
<br />Awards of Water," the competition is the larg-
<br />est and longest running water tasting in the
<br />world dedicated to preserving and protecting
<br />drinking water.
<br />Eleven judges, including representatives from
<br />three major television networks, public radio
<br />and print media outlets, were asked to taste
<br />water from among 77 different sources. These
<br />sources included 32 municipal waters from a
<br />dozen states, Canada and South Korea. Simi-
<br />lar to a wine tasting,judges rated the water for
<br />each attribute including appearance (should be
<br />clear), aroma (should be none), taste (should
<br />taste clean), mouth feel (should feel light), and
<br />aftertaste (should leave people thirsty for more).
<br />Santa Ana looks forward to competing and
<br />making another big splash at the Berkeley
<br />Springs festival next year!
<br />5. vs.
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<br />:66 $1,475
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<br />Only about 66 cents a year if you take it from a
<br />City of Santa Ana tap. However, you could
<br />spend an average 2,100 times as much, roughly
<br />51,47S a year, by drinking bottled water
<br />Why not save your money, enjoy Santa Ana's
<br />award tasting tap water, and help reduce your
<br />carbon footprint on our planet!
<br />CJ 20% Post-Consumer Wade
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<br />75A-28
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