Is Hesperia Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Cameron Gregg

Brigit Bennington

Bill Holland

Larry Bird

Rebekah Swanson

Nils Bentsen

Chair

Vice Chair

Board Member

Board Member

Board Member

General Manager

Important Facts about Drinking Water

• Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and

Regulation of Drinking Water and

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and

metals, that can be naturally occurring or

Bottled Water Quality

bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds,

result from urban storm water runoff, industrial

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the

reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over

or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)

the surface of the land, or through the ground, it

gas production, mining, or farming.

and the State Water Resources Control Board (State

dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some

• Pesticides and herbicides, that may come from

Water Board) prescribe regulations that limit the

cases, radioactive material, and can pick up

a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban

amount of certain contaminants in water provided by

substances resulting from the presence of animals

stormwater runoff, and residential uses.

public water systems. State Water Board regulations

or from human activity. Currently, all water supplied

• Organic chemical contaminants, including syn-

also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water

to the citizens

of Hesperia

comes

from

the

that provide the same protection for public health.

groundwater aquifer.

thetic and volatile organic chemicals, that are by

Drinking

water,

including

bottled

water,

may

-products of industrial processes and

petrole-

reasonably be expected to contain at

least small

Contaminants that may be present in source water

um production,

and can also come

from gas

amounts

of some contaminants. The presence of

include:

stations, urban

storm water runoff, agricultural

contaminants

does not necessarily

indicate

that

• Microbial contaminants, such

as viruses

and

application, and septic systems.

water poses a health risk. More information about

bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment

• Radioactive contaminants, that can be naturally-

contaminants

and

potential

health effects

can be

plants, septic

systems, agricultural

livestock

occurring or be the result of oil

and gas

obtained

by

calling the U.S. EPA’s Safe

Drinking

operations, and wildlife.

production and mining activities.

Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Additional Information About

Lead

Source Water Assessment

Drinking Water

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health

A Source Water Assessment has been conducted on all 15

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be

problems,

especially

for

pregnant women

and

young

wells for the Hesperia Water District. The water sources are

children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials

most vulnerable to the activities of septic systems with high

expected to

contain at

least

small amounts

of

some

and

components associated with service lines and home

density.

contaminants.

The

presence

of

contaminants

does

not

plumbing.

Hesperia

Water

District is

responsible for

necessarily indicate

that

water

poses a

health

risk. More

For a copy of Source Water Assessment summaries, visit:

providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the

information about contaminants and potential health effects

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/

variety of materials used

in

plumbing components. When

can be

obtained

by calling the

USEPA’s

Safe Drinking

drinkingwater/DWSAP.html

your

water

has been sitting

for

several hours, you can

Water

Hotline at

1-800-426-4791. Some people may be

minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing tap for

more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the

30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or

general population. Immunocompromised persons such as

cooking. (Optional: if you do so, you may wish to collect the

persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who

flushed water and reuse

it for another beneficial purpose,

have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or

such as watering plants.) If you are concerned about lead in

other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants

your

water, you may wish

to

have your water tested.

can be particularly

at risk from

infections. These

people

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and

should seek advice from their health care providers. USEPA/

steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate

the Safe Drinking Water

Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/

means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and

lead.

other microbial contaminants are available

from

the

Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Key Terms

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The

highest

Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU): A unit for

pH: Range from 1 (acid) to 14 (basic). Neutral pH is

level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking

expressing the cloudiness (turbidity) of a sample as

7.0. Drinking water ranges between 6.0 to 8.3.

water. Primary MCLs are set as close to the PHGs (or

measured by a nephelometric turbidimeter.

ND: not detectable at testing limit

MCLGs) as

is

economically

and

technologically

Primary Drinking Water Standards (PDWS): MCLs

feasible. Secondary MCLs are set to

protect the odor,

ppm: parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/L)

and MRDLs for contaminants that affect health along

taste, and

appearance of drinking water.

with their monitoring and

reporting requirements,

ppb: parts per billion or micrograms per liter (µg/L)

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The

and water treatment requirements.

ppt: parts per trillion or nanograms per liter (ng/L)

level of a contaminant in drinking water

below which

Public Health Goal (PHG): The level of a contami-

there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs

pCi/L: picocuries per liter (a measure of radiation)

nant in drinking water below which there is no known

are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

or

expected risk to health.

PHGs

are set by

the

(U.S. EPA).

umho/cm: Micromhos per centimeter. A measure of

California Environmental Protection Agency.

the conductivity of a water sample, equivalent to

Maximum

Residual

Disinfectant

Level

(MRDL):

Regulatory Action Level (AL): The concentration of

microsiemens per centimeter.

The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking

a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment

water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a

or

other

requirements that

a water system must

disinfectant

is

necessary for

control

of microbial

follow.

contaminants.

Maximum

Residual

Disinfectant

Level

Goal

Secondary Drinking

Water Standards

(SDWS):

MCLs for contaminants

that

affect

taste,

odor, or

(MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant

below which there is no known or expected risk to

appearance of the drinking water. Contaminants with

SDWSs do not affect the health at the MCL levels.

health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use

of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.