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PUBLIC HEARING TO ACCEPT THE 2025 WATER QUALITY PUBLIC HEALTH GOALS REPORT
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PUBLIC HEARING TO ACCEPT THE 2025 WATER QUALITY PUBLIC HEALTH GOALS REPORT
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Conduct a Public Hearing to accept and respond to public comments on the 2025 Water Quality Public Health Goals Report (2025 Report).
2. At the conclusion of the Public Hearing, adopt a resolution accepting the 2025 Report.
It is also recommended that the City Manager be authorized to take appropriate and necessary actions to carry out the purpose and intent of this resolution.
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Summary
The Municipal Utilities Department (MUD) is comprised of three enterprise funds including Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Utilities. The Water Utility provides drinking water service to the northern and southern regions of the Stockton Metropolitan Area, with the California Water Service Company and San Joaquin County serving the central region. The Delta Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) began operation in May 2012, providing up to 30 million gallons per day of treated surface water from the San Joaquin Delta and Mokelumne River.
The California Health and Safety Code requires public water systems to prepare a public health goals report every three years that compares the concentration of drinking water constituents with their respective Public Health or Maximum Contaminant Level Goals.
Accordingly, staff prepared the 2025 Report (Exhibit 1 to the Resolution), which concludes the potable water supplied to the City's water service area meets all State and Federal drinking water standards set to protect public health. The California Health and Safety Code requires that the 2025 Report be accepted by the City Council at a public hearing and be available to the public for review.
DISCUSSION
Background
The Public Health Goals Report is unique to the State of California. Section 116470(b) of the California Health and Safety Code requires public water systems with more than 10,000 service connections to regularly develop this report. The City's water service area supplies potable water to more than 10,000 service connections and is required to complete a Public Health Goals Report every three years.
The 2025 Report compares the concentrations of drinking water constituents with their respective California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Public Health Goals (PHGs) or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs). These goals are based on the concentration of a specific contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.
The 2025 Report identifies the number of sources that have constituents above their respective PHGs or MCLGs. In addition, the 2025 Report includes available water treatment technologies and estimated costs to reduce constituents below the PHGs or MCLGs.
The PHGs and MCLGs are not enforceable by the State or Federal agencies as they are lower than currently regulated Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) requirements. Adopted MCLs for water quality criteria are the enforceable standard for compliance in all water systems throughout the United States. Public water systems are required to prepare Water Exceedance Reports and Notification Requirements if one or more constituents are detected in the water supply that exceed an MCL. The MUD has not detected any constituent in the City of Stockton water service area that exceed their MCL.
Present Situation
The 2025 Report lists constituents detected in the City water system above PHGs and/or MCLGs during calendar years 2022 through 2024. These constituents include the following:
* Arsenic - naturally occurs in local groundwater
* Bromate - bromide is a precursor found in oceanwater & other sources
* Uranium - occurs in local groundwater
o Gross Alpha
o Radium-228
* Total Coliform - indicator test for E. coli
The detection levels for all constituents were below the established MCLs. The City water system complies with the regulatory MCL standards.
The estimated cost to construct and maintain treatment facilities to lower constituents below PHGs and MCLGs levels is $1,932 per service connection per year. However, the effectiveness of the treatment technologies to provide significant reductions in constituent levels at these already below MCL values is uncertain. The protection of public health and the possible benefits of these further reductions are not substantiated and may not be quantifiable.
The 2025 Report concludes that City water meets all State of California, Department of Public Health, and United States Environmental Protection Agency drinking water quality standards set to protect public health.
The 2025 Report is required to be accepted by the City Council at a Public Hearing scheduled after July 1 and made available to the public for review. The 2025 Report is available on the City website at www.stocktonca.gov/waterquality. The Public Hearing was noticed in The Record on August 21, 2025.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The FY 2025-26 Annual Budget includes appropriation to cover the costs for a Public Hearing notice in The Record and for printing copies of the 2025 Public Health Goals in the Water Fund, Administration Division.
This action has no impact on the General Fund or any other unrestricted funds.