M5.4: Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) and Water Quality

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I live in the City of Morgan Hill which is located in South Santa Clara County between the Coyote and Llagas underground aquifers. Both of these aquifers are the source of Morgan Hill's water supply. Morgan Hill operated 15 active and 2 standby groundwater wells throughout the city. I was surprised to learn that in 2017, the wells provided 2,312 million gallons of water to 14,080 active water connections. One of the chemicals found in the wells is sodium hypochlorite which is used as a disinfectant to protect against microbial contaminants. Morgan Hill strives to meet or exceed the state and federal requirements and were successful without a violation. A few of the contaminants that are looked at are E. coli, lead, copper, aluminum, and nitrate. Copper and nitrate were the two of most concern given that having too much can cause nausea, diarrhea, kidney damage, liver damage, and blood problems. However, all of the aforementioned contaminants were below the threshold -- meeting safety standards, thus the health risks with the chemicals found in the water are relatively low. My family never uses a filter for our water because we never drink water from the tap. There was a time in the early 2000s where Morgan Hill's drinking water was not safe to drink. From the point on, my family never found the drinking water to be safe. On occasion we drink bottled water as a convenience to share with other people who may not have access to a reusable water bottle. In my case, I like having the water bottle so that I can dispose of it in the recycling bin -- I've lost many reusable bottles and it's more of a cost for me to keep buying reusable ones compared to the "one-time" use bottles. From the video I can see that my bottle may not be properly recycled, which is of concern. I would be willing to try to change my water bottle to another alternative if possible. It is just being able to find an alternative that is eco-friendly and affordable.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2018 at 12:50 PM

    Hi Daisy,

    I was content with my city's CCR -- I think, for the most part, the Bay Area has high standards for clean water, which makes me think about the quality of tap water in other areas. Are people better off drinking bottled water in area with terrible water quality, or should they just invest in a filtration system? Also, bottled water is largely convenient for emergency situations, but I'm curious as to whether city emergency plans should distribute water thermoses instead -- and just have people fill them up at water stations.

    Carmen

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  2. UnknownSeptember 29, 2018 at 11:18 AM

    Hi Daisy,
    Thank you for your post! I was shocked to find out that in 2000, Morgan Hill's drinking water was not safe to drink. I completely see why your family found the drinking water to not be safe. I really think that your post provided a valuable view point on the topic and is something most think about when choosing their water options.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Kera

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 3, 2018 at 1:36 PM

    Hi Daisy,
    Thank you for sharing information and your thoughtful reflection of the water quality where you live. I am glad to hear that the chemicals you mentioned are at currently at safe rates and within the threshold of safety standards. And hopefully you can find a eco-friendly and affordable reusable water bottle soon. I agree that I have lost a couple but lately I have been more conscious about making sure I have it with me by leaving it next to my keys.

    ReplyDelete

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