Tuolumne County Profile – Drinking Water Quality: Part 23
Sonora, Ca — Drinking water quality is highlighted in Part 23 of our look at the Tuolumne County Profile – Community Indicators Project.
The following was published by the Sonora Area Foundation.
Why is this important?
High quality drinking water is essential to human health. Contaminated drinking water can cause disease, birth defects, infant mortality, and increased cancer rates.
Ninety-five percent of our drinking water originates from local surface water sources including rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirs and springs. Most of this water is transported to publicly operated water treatment plants through a man-made earthen ditch system. Five percent of the drinking water is pumped from groundwater wells.
What is the measure?
Drinking water quality is measured by levels of biological and chemical contaminants as reported by the two major water purveyors in Tuolumne County. Maximum Contaminate Levels (MCL), which are limits of biological and chemical contaminants allowed in drinking water, are established and monitored by California and the federal government. Local water purveyors regularly monitor and report water-sampling results for compliance with the MCLs.
How are we doing?
Water sampling test results reveal that our drinking water is essentially contaminant free and meets the MCL for all current primary drinking water standards.
In 2007, water delivered by the Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) met drinking water standards for all tested contaminates except for iron and manganese, which are considered secondary (non-health related) standards by the state. Groveland Community Services District (GCSD) met all standards in 2007 except for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids, which are byproducts of the use of chlorine in drinking water treatment. GCSD upgraded its water treatment plants in 2007, to help meet the state MCL for these contaminants.
Click Indicators Project for the 2008 Tuolumne County Profile as published by the Sonora Area Foundation.
Written by BJ Hansen
