According to the EPA link provided in the module, Rancho Water supplies the drinking water for Temecula, CA. Below is the 2015 Consumer Confidence Report:
http://www.ranchowater.com/DocumentCenter/View/2076
Answer the following questions:
What is the source of your drinking water? Where does your water ORIGINATE? (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)
Rancho Water has two primary source of water: imported water and groundwater. The imported water comes from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The groundwater is pumped in Temecula Valley.
What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?
It is worth noting that many chemicals were found in the drinking water provided by Rancho Water; however, most were below State Maximum Contaminant Levels and the Public Health Goal. The chemicals that Rancho Water noted of importance were Arsenic, Fluoride, Lead, and Manganese.
The district found Fluoride above MCL at 2 of 41 sites. To regulate the levels, Rancho Water blended the water from other wells to reduce the level to acceptable levels. The district also found Manganese above the secondary MCL in 2 of the 41 active wells. Although Manganese at low levels is nutritionally essential to humans, the district treats the groundwater to reduce the levels to acceptable levels. Two sites found that Lead exceeded action level.
What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?
Honestly I did not know what to expect in my drinking water. I was surprised to see that 2 well sites noted that Lead exceeded action level. An action level is when 10% of consumer taps find Lead at 15 parts per billion.
Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap.
According to Rancho Water's website, 30% of their water is supplied by Temecula Valley aquifers. Rancho Water also purchases water from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports water from Northern California and the Colorado River. Drinking water in Temecula is a blend of 30% well water, 65% imported water, and 5% highly treated waste water.
What did you discover about your water quality?
I discovered that the water quality seems to be acceptable according to the MCL and PHG. The chemicals noted in the CCR are concerning yet I trust that these regulations and the MCL's are in place according to sound scientific findings.
Do you use a filter for your water? What are you trying to filter out?
I use a Brita filter filter at home to filter out my tap water. My understanding is that the Brita filter filters out heavy metals and chloride. I use the filter to to minimize the taste and odor associated with tap water.
Do you drink bottled water? How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water (see next exercise)?
I typically do not use bottled water. I have a number of water bottles I use for cycling which I tend to fill up often.
I totally agree. It is hard to say what to expect in your drinking water. It seems that the water quality meets the standards, as most of the chemicals found in the water were below the maximum levels. However, those well site where lead exceeded action level are concerning. I’d like to use a water filter. It seems that Brita filter works perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI also did not know what to expect in my water. Though we do not drink tap water; we fill 5-gallon bottles at our local store, we know that the various chemicals give our water an interesting taste. It's good to know that our cities make sure that our drinking water is safe to consume.
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