Otay Ensures Safe and Clean Drinking Water for Its Customers
Recent news articles have shared commentary by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that attempted to give insight into the quality of California’s drinking water and data on low levels of contaminants that are known to be present in the water. However, the EWG acknowledges certain limitations to its scope and methodology. Although EWG’s commentary has been presented in the media as a “study,” it is not as it does not include any methodology nor true results as one would see in a peer-reviewed study published in a scientific journal. Therefore, the findings are speculative and not based on any scientific studies.
The Otay Water District’s customers can be confident in the safety of their drinking water. The delivery of a clean and safe water supply to its customers is the District’s top priority. The District uses one or more state-certified laboratories to analyze its supply for an entire range of elements that can degrade the quality of drinking water. As a result, it continues to meet all of the state and federal standards for clean water.
Because the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water (CA-DDW) has very strict water standards, public water systems in California, including the District, are among the safest in the world. As a requirement of the CA-DDW, the District releases an annual Consumer Confidence Report, which provides details on the results. Test results for calendar year 2018 will be released July 1, 2019.
Water quality is best protected long-term by preventing source water contamination rather than treating contaminated water. Improved monitoring technology means it is possible to detect extremely small amounts of constituents in water at levels that could not be detected in recent years. It is important to note that just because a constituent is detected, does not mean it causes harm. The District continues to support science-based regulations and remains committed to protect public health by providing safe and reliable drinking water to its more than 225,000 customers in its service area.