• Where does our water come from?
• What is the pressure in the City of Palo Alto Water System?
• Is a Pressure Reducing Valve required in Palo Alto buildings?
• Is there any lead contamination in the city's drinking water?
• Is Fluoride added to our water?
• Does the City of Palo Alto has a Consumer Confidence Report for the year 2007?
• Where can I get more information about Water Quality?
• Water Quality Emergencies
• What are the standards drinking water must meet?
• Who can I call to test my water?
• Who do I call for water quality complaints?
• What can I do to conserve water?
• Are there any restrictions for water use?
• Does the City has a drought emergency plan?
• How could I detect if there is water leak?
• Who do I call for after hour's problems?
• Where do I call for questions on my utility bill, to tart or to stop services?
• Who do I call to report a Water Main Break?
• Who do I call for a question on a Water Capital Project?
• I have a water pressure problem, who should I call?
  
   

Q: Where does our water come from?

A:  The City purchases its water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) of the City and County of San Francisco's Hetch-Hetchy System, which is transported from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the City through a complex series of reservoirs, tunnels, pipelines, and treatment systems.  Information on the water supply agreement with SFPUC is available.  Two unique features of the SFPUC system stand out:  the drinking water provided is among the purest in the world, and the system for delivering that water is almost entirely gravity fed, requiring almost no fossil fuel consumption to move water from the mountains to your tap.  From Palo Alto's formation in 1895 until 1928, the City's water supply came from deep wells.  When the groundwater supply started to decline, water was purchased from the San Francisco regional water system to supplement the local well water.  Since 1962, when Palo Alto's wells were discontinued as the primary water system, 100% of the water has come from the regional water supply.  Palo Alto now utilizes its well system for emergency water supply needs only.

Water Sources

The SFPUC, the third largest municipal utility in California, serves 2.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the Bay Area.  Approximately one-third of delivered water goes to retail customers in San Francisco, while wholesale deliveries to 28 suburban agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties comprise the other two-thirds of SFPUC's deliveries.  Nearly 85% of the water delivered to Palo Alto by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) originates from high Sierra snow melt in 459 square miles of protected Yosemite National Park watershed land. This pure water is stored in the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir near the Yosemite Valley, about 120 miles away. It is delivered to the Bay Area through a series of tunnels and pipelines. The water from the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir is not filtered when it reaches Palo Alto at various interconnections because it is such high quality. About 15% of Palo Alto's water comes from the Calaveras and San Antonio Reservoirs located in Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

Q: What is the pressure in the City of Palo Alto Water System?

A: Water pressure in Palo Alto varies with the elevation of the area served. In general, the City system is designed to provide an average of 50 pounds per square inch in most low lying areas and pressure which exceeds 100 pounds per square inch in higher elevations.  Refer to Rule and Regulation #3 for more information.

Q: Is a Pressure Reducing Valve required in Palo Alto buildings?

A: Pressure reducing valves, PRV's, are used in mountainous and hilly areas to protect property owner's plumbing from excessive pressure when the building is located in the lower elevations of the pressure zone. These are installed by the customer at the meter or at a suitable location in the customer's plumbing system to permit reduced pressure to the house fixtures. PRV's must be installed to regulate minimum and maximum pressure at outside hydrants.

Q: Is there any lead contamination in the City's drinking water?

A: There are no known lead service lines in the SFPUC regional water system.  The California Department of Health Services (CDHS) provided a waiver to the City of Palo Alto Utilities stating that because 2004 lead and copper results were within regulated parameters, we are not required to sample for lead and copper until 2007.  At the request of CDHS, lead and copper samples were taken by CPAU in 2005 and 2006, and will be taken semi-annually through the end of 2008 as part of a special, multi-year study of the regional system.  Some regional water customers may have increased levels of lead in their tap water caused by the deterioration of household plumbing materials that contain lead.  However, if your home has pre-1986 copper plumbing joined by lead solder (lead solder was outlawed after 1986) or has brass fixtures of any age, there is a chance that lead is leaking into your water.  In these cases, a good precaution is to run the water briefly (30 to 60 seconds) from faucets that have been unused for several hours before drinking or cooking with the water.  Infants and young children are typically at greater health risk from exposure to lead.  If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your 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.

Q: Is fluoride added to our water?

A: In 1954, Palo Alto residents voted to add fluoride to the water supply.  In 1995, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 733, which requires large water providers to add fluoride to water supplies when public funding is available to cover the costs. The SFPUC has completed a new fluoridation facility in the East Bay to replace the aged Polhemus Fluoride Station. 

Since September 2005, the SFPUC fluoridates the drinking water of its entire suburban wholesale service area to protect customers' dental health.  Medical benefits include a reduction in the frequency and severity of dental decay, a decrease in the need for tooth extractions and fillings, and a reduction in the pain and suffering associated with tooth decay.  Fluoride and bacteriological levels are tested weekly.   

Quality Assurance

Water treatment, such as disinfection or filtration, is another method of quality assurance. The SFPUC uses a variety of treatment techniques depending on the water source. For example, local sources that are near populated areas are filtered to meet standards for clarity. All of our water is disinfected with chlorine to meet state and federal water quality standards.

Joint Water Agency Efforts

The SFPUC and the City of Palo Alto Utilities have converted to a chloramine disinfectant to reduce potential health effects associated with disinfection byproducts. Controlling disinfection byproducts is part of the filtration exemption requirements. Also, over the next 18 months, the SFPUC is upgrading the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant which is an alternate water source in the event of a water quality problem with the Hetch-Hetchy supply.

In addition to testing by the SFPUC, the City of Palo Alto Utilities monitors to assure that only the highest quality of water is delivered to you. On an annual basis, pipelines are flushed to reduce sediment buildup. We conduct monthly general physical measurements of the water in our system for pH, temperature, chlorine residual, conductivity, color unites, and turbidity in the water, as required by the state. Turbidity is defined as the cloudiness of the water. Fluoride and bacteriological levels are tested weekly. Bacteriological and turbidity testing is conducted in excess of the state standards in order to further protect water quality in Palo Alto.

Q: Does the City of Palo Alto have a Consumer Confidence Report?

A: Yes, the City of Palo Utilities provides an annual report to the community about the quality of the water we deliver to your homes and businesses. Our policy is to continue to inform our customers about the physical, chemical, and biological constituent standards for water and identify the typical concentrations found in your water. We are committed to supplying water that meets or surpasses all state and federal drinking water standards to our 62,000 residential and 6,000 business customers.

The City's water operations staff collect over 30 samples per week from our water sources and distribution system to be tested by an independent state-certified laboratory. Our engineers and water quality experts are designing and constructing system upgrades to our treatment processes to keep up with upcoming, more stringent federal drinking water regulations.

High Quality Hetch-Hetchy Water Earns Filtration Exemption

The water supply from the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir meets all federal and state criteria for watershed protection, disinfection treatment, bacteriological quality and operational standards. This conclusion was reached by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), based on its review of an evaluation of the Hetch-Hetchy water supply performed by the State of California Department of Public Health. As a result, water from this source does not require filtration treatment in order to guarantee the safety of the water. The CDHS noted that "continuing to meet the filtration avoidance criteria will require a significant commitment from management in the form of program direction, administrative support, and dedicated staff resources and energy".

For more information about water quality, or about how to obtain a copy of a completed water source assessment, please contact Water/Gas/Wastewater at (650) 496-6967. City of Palo Alto Utilities Customer Service Department at (650) 329-2161. Para español, por favor llamar a (650) 566-4517.

Q: Where can I get more information about Water Quality?

A:

• City of Palo Alto Utilities Operations at (650) 496-6967
• Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791
• SFPUC Internet Homepage at http://www.sfwater.org
• American Water Works Association Internet Homepage at http://www.awwa.org/index.cfm
• California Department of Public Health, Drinking Water Division at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/DWP.aspx  
• Santa Clara County Health Department at http://www.sccphd.org/portal/site/phd/agencychp?path=%2Fv7%2FPublic%20Health%20Department%20%28DEP%29%2FPublic%20Information%2FWater%20Fluoridation
• U.S EPA Drinking Water Internet Homepage at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ 

Q: Water Quality Emergencies

A: In the event of a disaster or other emergency that may constitute a threat to the quality of the water supply, specific public emergency notices will be issued. These notices will be aired in a timely fashion in both the electronic and print media. Personal contact through the use of "door hanger" notifications may also be used if the water quality threat is limited to a specific area of the City. There are two basic types of official notices: (1) a Boil Water Order, and (2) an Unsafe Water Alert. A Boil Water Order would be issued in the event of the discovery of microbiological contamination or in the event of a treatment failure.

An Unsafe Water Alert would be issued in the event of some other form of contamination such as chemical spill into a reservoir. Should such an alert be issued, all consumers should adhere to the guidelines provided in the notices concerning the use and drinking of the water supply.

Q: What are the standards drinking water must meet?

A: Palo Alto drinking water continues to be in complete compliance with all existing county, state and federal standards for water quality.

The quality of drinking water is vigorously regulated by the Federal Government. In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act, requiring the USEPA to establish uniform standards for drinking water. The Safe Drinking Water Act was further amended in 1986 and 1996, adding even more stringent standards. In California, these standards are enforced by the California Department of Health and Services, Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management.

In order to ensure the tap water is safe to drink, USEPA and the California Department of Health and Services (CADHS) prescribe regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. CADHS regulations also establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provided 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 at 1 (800) 426-4791.

Cryptosporidiosis: Information and Guidance for people with compromised immune systems:
City of Palo Alto water consumers who have compromised or suppressed immune systems may have special needs where drinking water quality is concerned. This includes people who are receiving chemotherapy, organ or bone transplant recipients and people who have HIV-AIDS or other immune system disorders, infants and some elderly. Crytosporidiosis in particular is a disease of the intestinal tract brought on by a microorganism (a protozoan) called Crytosporidium. The disease is transmitted through contaminated food, water or direct contact with human or animal waste. If you are healthy with a normal immune system, the flu-like symptoms usually last about two weeks. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, upset stomach and slight fever. However, if your immune system is compromised or artificially suppressed, complications of this disease can be serious, possibly life-threatening.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are parasitic microbes found in most surface water supplies.  The SFPUC tests for them regularly both in source and treated water supplies.  Both microbes were occasionally found at very low levels in the SFPUC's water in 2006.  If ingested these parasites may produce symptoms of nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.