Water Quality

Water Quality Report

Every year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water set regulations that limit the amount of contaminants that may be present in drinking water provided by the Otay Water District. Once again, the District is proud to have met all state and federal water quality standards for the calendar year 2023.

The annual Consumer Confidence Report provides details on the results and other valuable information about the water it supplies. Customers can learn more about where their water comes from, what is tested, and how the results compare to state standards. It also lists the levels of common elements that may be detected in the water.

The District provides a safe and reliable water supply to more than 238,000 customers in Otay Mesa, Chula Vista, Jamul, Spring Valley, Rancho San Diego, and unincorporated areas of El Cajon and La Mesa. To ensure that the quality of your tap water meets standards, the District and the agencies it purchases water from continually test water sources at the treatment plants and points in the distribution system.

The water sources delivered by the District are from the Colorado River, the State Water Project, and local supplies, including seawater desalination from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant. The District purchases its treated water from the San Diego County Water Authority, Helix Water District, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

The District vigilantly safeguards its water supply. Using one or more state-certified laboratories, it routinely analyzes it for an entire range of elements that have the potential to degrade the quality of drinking water.

The following is the most recent Consumer Confidence Report in English and Spanish:

To request that a copy of the most recent Consumer Confidence Report be mailed to you, please call (619) 670-2222 or email CustomerService@otaywater.gov.

Lead and Copper Rule Revisions

The Otay Water District has completed the initial lead service line inventory required by U.S. EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. The deadline for the initial inventories was October 16, 2024.

Through completing a historical records review and field investigations, the District has determined it has no lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines in its distribution system. This includes any privately-owned or customer-owned service lines.

The District reviewed all applicable sources of information, including the following:

All construction and plumbing codes and existing records or other documentation, which indicates the service line materials
All water system records, including distribution system maps and drawings, historical records on each service connection, and historical capital improvement plans
All inspections and records of the distribution system that indicate service line material, including inspections conducted during normal operations

In addition to reviewing the above sources of information, the District developed a method to inventory the service line material that was approved by the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water on a case-by-case basis.

The District used the interpolation method. The interpolation method is used when the water utility can divide their service area into uniform groups, such as neighborhoods or tracts. Each uniform group shares multiple common characteristics, such as period built, location, or contractor. The service line materials for each group are assumed to be similar. Water utilities physically verified a percentage of the homes in that group to interpolate or determine the service line material for the remaining homes.

The District created two interpolation groups based on infrastructure age. Group 1 consisted of services installed in the 1950s and 1960s and group 2 consisted of services installed in the 1970s and 1980s. 60% of the field inspections were conducted in group 1 and 40% in group 2. All service lines inspected were verified non-lead. No lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines were identified. Service lines installed after January 1,1988 were not included as the use of lead pipe material in new construction was banned by the State Health and Safety Code section 300.6 as of January 1, 1986.

Helpful Links

Fluoridation

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

San Diego County Water Authority

USEPA

California Department of Public Health

If you have questions or concerns about the quality of your tap water, please call Otay’s Water Operations Manager at (619) 670-2230.