Protecting our customers’ health and safety is our highest priority. Although the water delivered from our wholesale water supplier has had elevated taste or odor for some customers recently, we can confirm that these have been limited to aesthetic issues only. Through our ongoing water quality monitoring, we have confirmed that the water delivered to our customers has continued to meet all water quality regulations set to protect public health along with limits set for aesthetic properties.

Additionally, our crews have been continuing to flush water lines throughout our service area and in the specific areas that experience taste or odor issues, to help move the affected water from our wholesale water supplier through the system. We are glad to see that conditions have continued to improve in affected areas. For those who were impacted, we recognize the inconvenience you’ve experienced, and we sincerely appreciate your patience during this time.

At the same time, we have been coordinating with the City of Stockton, which receives water from the same wholesale water supplier, and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water (DDW) to investigate and work through this issue. While our wholesale water supplier changes water sources seasonally each year, we are working together with the City and DDW to help keep both our and the City’s customers from experiencing issues like this again in the future.

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.