Commerce 2018 Water Quality Report

Welcome

We encourage you to review this annual water quality report, also called your Consumer Confidence Report, as it details any constituents detected in your water supply in 2018 and shows how your water compares to federal and state standards.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us. We are here to assist you.

Your Water System

District: East Los Angeles
System: Commerce
System ID: #1910050

Cal Water has provided high-quality water utility services to the area served by the City of Commerce water system since 1985.

To meet customers' needs, we use a combination of local groundwater and purchased water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), which is obtained from the Colorado River and the State Water Project in northern California. The City of Commerce water system currently includes three active wells, 12 booster pumps, five storage tanks, and one MWD connection.

Cal Water continues to deliver safe, reliable, and high-quality drinking water to our customers by ensuring that the wells, pumps, treatment plants, storage tanks, water pipes, and other infrastructure used to secure, treat, store, and deliver this water are systematically and proactively replaced when they reach the end of their life cycle.

In 2018, we replaced a logic controller, a booster control valve, and 1,100 feet of water main.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, please contact our local Customer Center, either by phone at (323) 722-8601 or through the Contact Us page.

DWSAPP

By the end of 2002, Cal Water had submitted to the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) a Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection Program (DWSAPP) report for each water source in the water system. The DWSAPP report identifies possible sources of contamination to aid in prioritizing cleanup and pollution prevention efforts. All reports are available for viewing or copying at our Customer Center.

The water sources in the City of Commerce system are considered most vulnerable to:

We encourage customers to join us in our efforts to prevent water pollution and protect our most precious natural resource.

The Water Quality Lab

Water professionals collect samples from throughout the water system for testing at our state-of-the-art water quality laboratory, which is certified through the stringent Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). Scientists, chemists, and microbiologists test the water for 318 constituents with equipment so sensitive it can detect levels as low as one part per trillion. In order to maintain the ELAP certification, all of our scientists must pass blind-study proficiency tests each year for every water quality test performed. Water quality test results are entered into our Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), a sophisticated software program that enables us to react quickly to changes in water quality and analyze water quality trends in order to plan effectively for future needs.

Possible Contaminants

All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.

More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791

The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
• Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural application, and septic systems.
• Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the EPA and DDW prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same protection for public health.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immunocompromised people, such as those with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, those who have undergone organ transplants, and those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders; some elderly people; and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking water. EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline.

About Lead

As the issue of lead in water continues to be top of mind for many Americans, Cal Water wants to assure you about the quality of your water. We are compliant with health and safety codes mandating use of lead-free materials in water system replacements, repairs, and new installations. We have no known lead service lines in our systems. We test and treat (if necessary) water sources to ensure that the water delivered to customer meters meets all water quality standards and is not corrosive toward plumbing materials.

The water we deliver to your home meets lead standards, but what about your home's plumbing? In California, lead in drinking water comes primarily from materials and components used for in-home plumbing (for example, lead solder used to join copper plumbing, and brass and other lead-containing fixtures).

The lead and copper rule requires us to test water inside a representative number of homes that have plumbing most likely to contain lead and/or lead solder to determine the presence of lead and copper or an action level exceedance (AL). An action level is the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers corrective actions before it becomes a health concern. If action levels are exceeded, either at a customer's home or system-wide, we work with the customer to investigate the issue and/or implement corrosion control treatment to reduce lead levels.

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Cal Water is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water to our customers' meters, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.

If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested by a lab. More information about lead in drinking water can be found on the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Results of our lead monitoring program, conducted in accordance with the Lead and Copper Rule, can be found in the 2018 Water Quality Table later in this document. In your system, results from our lead monitoring program, conducted in accordance with the Lead and Copper Rule, were below the action level for the presence of lead.

Testing for Lead in Schools

The State of California now requires that all public schools built before 2010 test for lead in their drinking water by July 1, 2019. We are committed to supporting our school districts' efforts to protect students and ensure that the drinking water at their school sites are below lead limits. We have been working with school districts serving kindergarten through 12th grade to develop sampling plans, test samples, and conduct follow-up monitoring for corrective actions. We have published a summary of local school lead testing from the last year in this year's Water Quality report. For more information, please see our Testing for Lead in Schools web page.

Key Definitions

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. Primary MCLs protect public health and are set as close to the PHGs (or MCLGs) as are economically and technologically feasible. Secondary MCLs (SMCLs) relate to the odor, taste, and appearance of drinking water.

In Compliance: Does not exceed any applicable primary MCL, secondary MCL, or action level, as determined by DDW. For some compounds, compliance is determined by averaging the results for one source over a one-year period.

Regulatory Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other required action by the water provider.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs are set by the EPA.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Notification Level (NL): A health-based advisory level for an unregulated contaminant in drinking water. It is used by DDW to provide guidance to drinking water systems.

Primary Drinking Water Standard (PDWS): MCLs and MRDLs for contaminants that affect health, along with their monitoring, reporting, and water treatment requirements.

Public Health Goal (PHG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. PHGs are set by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment without regard to cost or available detection and treatment technologies.

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Table Introduction

Cal Water tests your water for more than 140 regulated contaminants and dozens of unregulated contaminants. This table lists only those contaminants that were detected.

In the table, water quality test results are divided into several major sections (as needed): "Primary Drinking Water Standards," "Secondary Drinking Water Standards," "State-Regulated Contaminants with Notification Levels," and "Unregulated Compounds." Primary standards protect public health by limiting the levels of certain constituents in drinking water. Secondary standards are set for substances that don't impact health but could affect the water's taste, odor, or appearance. Some unregulated substances (hardness and sodium, for example) are included for your information. The State allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though representative, are more than one year old.

A list of codes found in the "Source" column and their definitions can be found at the bottom of this page.

Water Quality Table

Primary Drinking Water Standards						Groundwater		CBMWD Supply1
Microbiological	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Highest Monthly		Highest Monthly		Source
Total coliform (systems with <40 samples/month) (total coliform rule)	2018	positive samples	1	(0)	Yes	0%		0.3		EN
Radiological	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Range	Average	Range	Average	Source
Gross alpha particle activity	2010–2018	pCi/L	15	(0)	Yes	ND–3.6	ND	ND–4	ND	ER
Gross beta particle activity	2010–2018	pCi/L	50	(0)	Yes	n/a	n/a	ND–5	ND	DK
Uranium	2010–2018	pCi/L	20	0.43	Yes	ND	ND	ND–3	ND	ER
Inorganic Chemicals	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Range	Average	Range	Average	Source
Aluminum	2018	ppm	1	0.6	Yes	ND	ND	ND–0.3	0.07	ER
Arsenic	2018	ppb	10	0.004	Yes	3–4.3	3.65	ND	ND	ER, OC
Barium	2018	ppm	1	2	Yes	ND	ND	ND–0.1	ND	ER, OD
Fluoride2	2018	ppm	2	1	Yes	0.32–0.33	0.33	0.4–0.9	0.7	ER, FL
Nitrate (as nitrogen)	2018	ppm	10	10	Yes	ND–2.76	1.78	ND–0.6	ND	ER, FR
Lead and Copper	Year Tested	Unit	AL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Distribution System-Wide				Source
						90th Percentile		Samples > AL
Copper	2017	ppm	1.3	0.3	Yes	0.24		0 of 21		IC, ER, WD
Lead	2017	ppb	15	0.2	Yes	ND		0 of 21		IC, ER, IM
Schools that requested lead sampling in 2018: 0
Volatile Organic Chemicals	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Groundwater		CBMWD Supply		Source
						Range	Average	Range	Average
1,1-Dichloroethylene	2018	ppb	6	10	Yes	ND–1.2	ND	ND	ND	CF
Disinfection Byproducts	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Distribution System-Wide				Source
						Range		Highest Annual Average
Haloacetic acids	2018	ppb	60	n/a	Yes	ND		ND		DI
Total trihalomethanes	2018	ppb	80	n/a	Yes	8.2–10.1		9.5		DI
Disinfectants	Year Tested	Unit	MRDL	MRDLG	In Compliance	Distribution System-Wide				Source
						Range		Average
Chlorine	2018	ppm	4	4	Yes	0.23–2.6		1.09		DS
Surface Water—Turbidity and TOC	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Groundwater		CBMWD Supply		Source
						Highest Level	% ≤ 0.3	Highest Level	% ≤ 0.3
Turbidity (surface water requiring filtration)3	2018	NTU	TT	n/a	Yes	n/a		0.08	100	SO
Total organic carbon (TOC)4	2018	ppm	TT	n/a	Yes	n/a		3.2	2.6	VA
Secondary Drinking Water Standards						Groundwater		CBMWD Supply
Inorganic Chemicals	Year Tested	Unit	SMCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Range	Average	Range	Average	Source
Aluminum5	2018	ppb	200	n/a	Yes	ND	ND	ND–310	124	ER
Color	2018	Units	15	n/a	Yes	ND	ND	ND–1	ND	OM
Manganese	2018	ppb	50	n/a	Yes	ND	ND	ND–22	ND	RL
Odor6	2018	Units	3	n/a	Yes	ND	ND	1–4	2	OM
Turbidity (groundwater)	2018	Units	5	n/a	Yes	ND–0.11	0.06	ND	ND	SO
Zinc	2018	ppm	5	n/a	Yes	ND–0.08	ND	ND	ND	RL, IW
Total dissolved solids	2018	ppm	1000	n/a	Yes	320–490	405	239–639	442	RL
Specific conductance	2018	µS/cm	1600	n/a	Yes	590	590	428–1010	732	SW, IN
Chloride	2018	ppm	500	n/a	Yes	54–55	54.5	54–97	85	RL, SW
Sulfate	2018	ppm	500	n/a	Yes	76–81	78.5	34–236	133	RL, IW
State-Regulated Contaminants with Notification Levels						Groundwater		CBMWD Supply
Chemical	Year Tested	Unit	NL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Range	Average	Range	Average	Source
Boron	2018	ppm	1	n/a	Yes	0.16–0.17	0.16	0.12–0.16	0.14	UR
Unregulated Compounds						Groundwater		CBMWD Supply
Inorganic Chemicals	Year Tested	Unit	MCL	PHG (MCLG)	In Compliance	Range	Average	Range	Average	Source
Calcium	2018	ppm	n/a	n/a	Yes	51.62–59	53.77	16–69	43	ER
Magnesium	2018	ppm	n/a	n/a	Yes	8.42–11	8.82	9.5–26	18.1	ER
Strontium	2018	ppb	n/a	n/a	Yes	430–460	445	n/a	n/a	ER
pH	2018	Units	n/a	n/a	Yes	7–8.3	7.6	8.1–8.5	8.3	PH
Hardness	2018	ppm	n/a	n/a	Yes	180–190	185	84–274	181	ER
Sodium	2018	ppm	n/a	n/a	Yes	49.51–57	52.94	45–103	77	ER

1 Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD) supply data reported is from 2018. The years prior to 2018 reflect Cal Water data.

2 Fluoride is added to the CBMWD water supply. MWD treats its water by adding fluoride to the naturally occurring level in order to help prevent dental caries in consumers. The fluoride levels in the treated water are maintained within a range of 0.6–1.2 ppm, as required by DDW.

3 For surface water systems, the treatment technique dictates that the turbidity level of the filtered water be less than or equal to 0.2 NTU in 95% of measurements taken each month and not exceed 1 NTU at any time. Turbidity is a measurement of cloudiness of water. We monitor it because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.

4 TOC has no health effects; however, TOC provides a medium for the formation of disinfection byproducts. These byproducts include trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. The treatment technique dictates that a removal ratio of 1 or higher must be achieved. Drinking water containing these byproducts in excess of the MCL may lead to adverse health effects such as liver, kidney, or nervous system problems, and may lead to an increased risk of cancer. Concerns regarding disinfection byproducts are based upon exposure over many years.

5 Compliance with the State MCL for aluminum is based on a running annual average. No SMCL exceedance occurred in the Diemer or Weymouth treatment plant effluents. Some people who drink water containing aluminum in excess of the MCL over many years may experience short-term gastrointestinal tract effects.

6 Odor is derived from naturally occurring organic materials. There are no PHGs or MCLGs for odor, because SMCLs are set on the basis of aesthetic concerns.

Substance Sources

Thank You

A full-color, printable version of this report in PDF format is also available.

If you have any questions about your water quality table, please Contact Us.