Two weeks ago the Environmental Working Group published a study of tap water quality in cities and towns all over the nation. According to EWG water flowing from Sacramento taps is the “cleanest” in the state and 18th cleanest in the nation. Sacramento Utilities Department Director Marty Hanneman marked the report with this statement: “The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities prides itself on providing high quality water to its customers. We have a long standing tradition of meeting or exceeding all state and federal drinking water standards. We are proud to be recognized for our efforts by being ranked number one in the State for water quality.”
With the city so excited about the findings we decided to investigate the data behind the report and see what is really in the water. In fact, our drinking water meets or exceeds all federal and state requirements for clean drinking water. But is this something Sacramentans can really raise a glass about?
We interview Dr. Olga Naidenko, Ph. D., senior scientist with the EWG and contributing author of the report, to understand the data. (If you want to see the full rankings click here then click on Sacramento at number 18. Also read the report methodology here.) The EWG takes the results of tests done by the Sacramento City Department of Utilities, results that are submitted to the state and federal EPA, and compares them to data from other cities around the nation.
Here’s the first problem: Of the 316 contaminants detected in water around the country the EPA has set enforceable standards for only 114 of these pollutants. ”As of now,” explains Dr. Naidenko, “there is insufficient testing for ‘unregulated’ chemical contaminants because many utilities feel that if a contaminant is unregulated, they will not worry about it.” Naidenko does concede that “more testing is definitely needed” but adds that Sacramento water, which flows to more than 407-thousand customers, “is pretty good and the cases where detected contaminants exceed health-based limits are smaller than found in many utilities across the country.”
It is worth noting here that there is a difference between a “safe” limit and an “action” limit for many contaminants. For example, the EPA says the only safe level of lead in your drinking water is “0″. But water utilities do not have to take action to mitigate contamination until it reaches 15 parts per billion in more than 10-percent of tap water samples. (Lead was found in 2 of 6 tests reported by the Sacramento Department of Utilities between 2004 and 2009.)
At what point is the water tested? For example, if a city tests at a source how do they ensure lead and other contaminants are not getting into the water through the pipes to your house? The Sacramento Department of Utilities reports that experts perform 150 tests on the water every day. Spokesperson Jessica Hess says the water is tested at the treatment plant, throughout the system and at the tap. Dr. Naidenko explains that contamination from within water pipes “is a big challenge on all levels. State offices, federal EPA, and individual utilities.” Naidenko goes on to say that lead contamination in particular is a problem in cities with old lead plumbing networks. “Consumers are getting lead-contaminated water at the tap even though tests at the treatment plant did not show these contaminants,” confirms the EWG scientist. “There is definitely a need for more extensive testing throughout the distribution system. As of now, this remains as a gap in our knowledge and a risk to human health.” The Sacramento network of pipes, says Hess, is made from welded and riveted steel, plastics and concrete. “The City has had a long history of upgrading and rehabilitating the distribution system to meet our current needs and projected future growth.”
How about the data? Can the EPA, CalEPA or EWG guarantee the data reported by a local water utility is accurate? The Environmental Working Group (and state and federal enforcement agencies) depend upon the quality of the records kept by local water utilities. For their part, EWG’s Naidenko says the group “gave to all utilities a three-week window for data review and revision.” Naidenko confirms that more than 200 water utilities reviewed the data for their system and verified the accuracy of the data. That doesn’t preclude the possibility of someone falsifying records (as happened in Sparta, NJ last year, New York City in 2006 and San Luis Obispo in 1998) but, according to both the Sacramento Department of Utilities and CalEPA, no department official here has ever been cited or fined for faulty record-keeping.
“Overall, Sacramento did well in the list of 100 large water utilities that serve population over quarter of a million people,” Naidenko says, “For the listing nation-wide, the results would probably look even better,” because smaller systems that may have more contamination through pipes or infrastructure issues. Hess explains that the city is always updating our water system and the ways they clean the water. “This includes upgrading and expanding the treatment plants, building more reservoirs, up sizing pipe to meet the demands of our growing community, replacing failing mains, and moving mains from the backyards to the street in front of the property. This work is ongoing because the pipes continue to age and our community continues to grow and change.”
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The Sacramento City Department of Utilities has announced a series of water workshops including one in the Pocket area. Department spokesperson Jessica Hess says the free workshops will teach people not only to conserve water but to save money in their monthly bills.
