During this citywide issue being experienced by both Cal Water and the City of Stockton customers, here is what Cal Water has been doing to alleviate any aesthetic issues (taste and odor) for our customers:

Over the weekend, our crews continued working diligently to help alleviate taste and odor issues being experienced by some of our customers. Field technicians collected water quality samples from specific locations representative of our entire distribution system for testing and confirmed the water being provided to our customers still meets all water quality standards set to protect public health, safety, and quality. All bacteriological test results were clean and absent of bacteria in the water.

Tests that protect the aesthetic properties of water, called secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCLs), were also conducted at these locations along with an additional site; all test results also remained below the SMCL. Water that meets water quality safety standards can still have certain smells or tastes that may be unpleasant, but are not harmful. Where we detected that odor was noticeable, our crews continued to flush the water lines, as well as flushing throughout our system. Conditions have improved in affected areas.

We have continued to coordinate with the City of Stockton, as they’re also navigating similar aesthetic concerns with its customers. Cal Water and the City of Stockton both receive water from the same wholesale water supplier, and these issues are linked to a change in our wholesale supplier’s seasonal change in water source.

We thank our customers for their patience during this time and will continue to monitor conditions and take action where needed. If you experience taste or odor issues, you can refrigerate an open pitcher of water to help it dissipate. If it does not resolve, please contact our office at (209) 547-7900 so that we can investigate it. City of Stockton customers should call (209) 937-8762 if they continue to experience these issues.