In 2007, SFPUC water met or exceeded federal and state standards for drinking water, as in years past.  The annual 2007 Water Quality Report is now available. Mandated by the State of California, the publication contains important information about your drinking water for the past year and the ongoing measures our staff people take to ensure its continued excellence. 

The following is text taken directly from the the 2007 Water Quality Report. Complete versions of the report in English, Chinese and Spanish are attached at the bottom of this page.

City and County of San Francisco
Annual Water Quality Report (2007)
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Dear Customer:

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is proud of the reliable, high quality drinking water we deliver to you – pristine Sierra snowmelt from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and waters from protected local reservoirs.

But for the last two years, Northern California has experienced some of the driest winters on record, and conserving our precious water resources is more important than ever. To avoid rationing last year, we asked you and our 2.4 million Bay Area customers to reduce your water use voluntarily, and you responded overwhelmingly. This year, we’re asking everyone to keep up your water-wise habits and continue your personal commitment to saving water every day.

This Water Quality Report, which the State of California mandates that we send to you, contains important information about your drinking water for the past year and the ongoing measures our staff people take to ensure its continued excellence.

Ed Harrington
General Manager

The Highest Quality Water
The SFPUC’s Water Quality Division regularly collects and tests water samples from reservoirs and designated sampling points throughout the system to ensure that the SFPUC’s water meets or exceeds federal and state drinking water standards.  In 2007, Water Quality staff conducted 92,692 drinking water tests in the transmission and distribution systems, and treatment plant operators collected more than 77,000 water samples for treatment process control monitoring.

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 from human activity. Such substances are called contaminants. 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.

The table included in this report lists all drinking water contaminants detected in 2007. Contaminants below detection limits, such as arsenic, perchlorate, MTBE, and others, are not listed.  The table contains the name of each contaminant, the applicable drinking water standards or regulatory action levels, the ideal goals for public health, the amount detected in water, the typical contaminant sources, and footnotes explaining the findings. The State allows the SFPUC to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because their concentrations do not change. For certain other contaminants that were absent in the water based on many years of monitoring, the SFPUC received a monitoring waiver from the State.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
  
• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, that 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 that 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 that 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, that can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. CDPH regulations also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Key Water Quality Terms
Following are definitions of key terms noted on the water quality data table in this document. These terms refer to the standards and goals for water quality described below.

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

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 USEPA.

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.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The level of a disinfectant added for water treatment that may not be exceeded at the consumer’s tap.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of a disinfectant added for water treatment below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs are set by the USEPA. 

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

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

Regulatory Action Level: The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are parasitic microbes found in most surface water. The SFPUC regularly tests for these waterborne pathogens, and found them at very low levels in source water and treated water in 2007. However, current test methods approved by the USEPA do not distinguish between dead organisms and those capable of causing disease. If ingested, these parasites may produce symptoms of nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

Water Conservation Update: Thank You for Your Participation
The SFPUC is grateful to the many water consumers who responded to last year’s call for voluntary water conservation. From San Francisco to the South Bay, customers stepped up to the challenge, and overall usage was down by more than 12%.  The year 2007 also marked a year of unprecedented water conservation partnerships among Bay Area water utilities. Together, the SFPUC, our 27 wholesale agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, and water agencies in Contra Costa County launched the “Water Saving Hero” public awareness campaign prompting customers throughout the region to curb water use now to avoid rationing later. But, as scientists remind us, global warming is now with us, and Californians can expect drier winters to occur more often. Here again are a few easy life-style shifts that will save water, and lower your bills. 

• Turn off the faucet when you are brushing your teeth or doing dishes.


• Take shorter showers. Each minute you cut saves 2.5 gallons.


• Use a broom to clean sidewalks or driveways instead of hosing them down.


• Water your plants at night.


• Operate your washing machine and dishwasher with full loads.


• Use a carwash instead of washing your car at home.

Reducing Lead from Plumbing Fixtures
The SFPUC removed all known lead service lines in the 1980s and has been replacing brass meters with lead-free meters since 2002. However, some homes in San Francisco may have increased levels of lead in their tap water caused by the deterioration of household plumbing materials that contain lead. Infants and young children are typically at greatest health risk from exposure to lead. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your tap water, have your water tested or flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using the water whenever the tap has not been used for several hours.

Call 1-877-737-8297 for more information about our water test for lead.  The test fee is $25 per tap.  Families with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program may call the San Francisco Public Health Department’s WIC program and request a free lead test of their tap water.

The SFPUC continues to offer lead-free kitchen faucets to San Francisco customers at a discounted price of $10 ($110 wholesale value). More information and an application form are available at faucet.sfwater.org.

Special Health Needs
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. USEPA/Centers for Disease Control (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 (1-800-426-4791) or at www.epa.gov/safewater.

Comments or Questions?

Water quality policy issues are decided at San Francisco Public Utilities Commission hearings, held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 1:30 pm at San Francisco City Hall, Room 400.  For more information about upcoming meetings, call 415-554-3165 or visit this website.

Let us know what you think of this report. If you have suggestions, please contact us at feedback@sfwater.org or call 415-554-3289.

Call 311 to report a water or sewer problem.

To Learn More
Want to learn more about drinking water regulations? Visit the California Department of Public Health website http://www.cdph.ca.gov/ or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website http://www.epa.gov/.

SF Departments Replace Bottled Water with Tap Water
In 2007 San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom became the first Mayor in the country to ban purchases of bottled water by City government offices.

San Francisco tap water is already some of the highest-quality, best-tasting, and cheapest water in the world. For the price of one gallon of bottled water, consumers can buy at least 1000 gallons of SFPUC tap water. Commercial brands also come with environmental price tags. The trucking and shipping of these products burn fossil fuels that release one billion pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And more than one billion plastic water bottles end up in California landfill each year (taking 1000 years to biodegrade while they leak toxic additives into the soil and groundwater). The Mayor’s directive started a nationwide move by other municipalities to halt bottled water purchases with public funds.

Our Drinking Water Sources
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. For our system, the major water source originates from spring snowmelt flowing down the Tuolumne River to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, where it is stored. This pristine water source is located in the well protected Sierra region and meets all federal and state criteria for watershed protection. Based on the SFPUC’s disinfection treatment practice, extensive bacteriological-quality monitoring, and high operational standards, the State has granted the Hetch Hetchy water source a filtration exemption.  In other words, the source is so clean and protected that the SFPUC is not required to filter water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

The remaining water in the supply consists of surface water from two local watersheds. Rainfall and runoff collected from the Alameda Watershed, which spans more than 35,000 acres in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, are collected in the Calaveras and San Antonio Reservoirs. Prior to distribution, the water from those two reservoirs is treated at the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant (SVWTP). Treatment processes include coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection.  Fluoridation, chloramination and corrosion control treatment are provided for the combined Hetch Hetchy and SVWTP water at the Sunol Chloramination and Fluoridation Facilities. 

Rainfall and runoff captured in the 23,000-acre Peninsula Watershed, located in San Mateo County, are stored in four reservoirs: Crystal Springs (Lower and Upper), San Andreas, Pilarcitos, and Stone Dam. The water from these reservoirs is treated at the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant (HTWTP).  Treatment processes at the HTWTP include ozonation, coagulation, flocculation, filtration, disinfection, fluoridation, corrosion control treatment, and chloramination.   

In 2007, the Hetch Hetchy Watershed provided approximately 87% of our total water supply, with the remainder contributed by the two local watersheds.

Your Water Rate Dollars at Work
Water System Improvement Program Update: New UV Treatment Facility Planned for
Hetch Hetchy System

Projects that enhance high water quality are a key component of the multi-billion dollar Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), a program developed to upgrade the SFPUC water delivery system.

The SFPUC’s future Advanced Disinfection Project will use ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect Hetch Hetchy water to meet new federal requirements to control the waterborne parasite Cryptosporidium. The new 20,000-square-foot facility, inside the SFPUC property in San Joaquin County, will be one of the largest drinking-water UV disinfection facilities in North America. In the same location, a new disinfection station, with a control room, offices and a water-quality laboratory, will replace the present station, which was built in 1937 and no longer meets current fire or earthquake safety standards.

Also in progress are major upgrades of the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant in the East Bay and the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant on the Peninsula.

For further information on these and other WSIP water quality projects, visit this site. 

Protecting Our Watersheds 
The SFPUC actively and aggressively protects the natural water resources entrusted to its care.  An annual report on the Hetch Hetchy and its neighboring watersheds is prepared to evaluate the sanitary conditions, water quality, and potential contamination sources. The report also presents performance results of watershed management activities implemented by the SFPUC and its partner agencies, such as the National Park Service, to reduce or eliminate the potential contamination sources.  The 2007 sanitary survey concludes that very low levels of contaminants associated with wildlife and human activities exist in those upcountry watersheds.

The SFPUC also conducts sanitary surveys of the two local watersheds every five years. The potential contamination sources identified in the 2005 survey are similar to the upcountry watersheds. These survey reports are available at the San Francisco District office (510-620-3474) of the California Department of Public Health. 

For more information about the contents of this report, call 415-551-3000 or toll-free 877-737-8297, or visit us online at http://sfwater.org/quality.

For other languages call 415-551-3000.