California Water Service Districts Already Treating for Chromium-6, Will Meet New State Water Quality Standard

California Water Service (Cal Water) confirmed today that its water systems will meet the new state maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for chromium-6, which was adopted today by the State Water Resources Control Board.

Cal Water developed and installed treatment for the contaminant in its impacted water systems in Dixon, Oak Hills (Salinas), Las Lomas (Salinas), and Willows when the same chromium-6 MCL, which was subsequently vacated for administrative reasons,  was originally set in 2014. In fact, Cal Water’s treatment system design was used as a model for other water utilities. After the MCL was vacated, Cal Water continued to treat those wells to protect customer health and safety. Cal Water plans to install treatment at a newer well that was brought online in Oak Hills, as well as at another well in Dixon that currently does not serve customers but could, if needed, within the two- to four-year compliance timeline. All other active wells above the MCL in these service areas are already being treated.

“We take our responsibility to protect our customers’ health and safety very seriously; that’s why we continued to treat impacted water systems after the chromium-6 MCL was temporarily vacated,” said Martin A. Kropelnicki, Cal Water Chairman & CEO. “We remain committed to meeting all state and federal standards set to protect public health and safety.”

Beyond removing chromium-6 from its affected water sources, Cal Water works to be a responsible steward of the environment. The utility sends the chromium-6 removed through the treatment process to be recycled for use by other industries.

About California Water ServiceCalifornia Water Service provides high-quality, reliable water utility services to more than 2 million people statewide through 496,400 service connections. Cal Water’s purpose is to enhance the quality of life for customers and communities. To do so, it invests responsibly in water and wastewater infrastructure, sustainability initiatives, and community well-being. The company’s 1,100+ employees live by a set of strong core values and share a commitment to protecting the planet, caring for people, and operating with the utmost integrity. The utility has been named one of “America’s Most Responsible Companies” and the “World’s Most Trustworthy Companies” by Newsweek and a Great Place to Work®, and is ranked No. 1 in Customer Satisfaction Among Large Water Utilities in the West Region* by J.D. Power. More information is available at www.calwater.com.

*California Water Service received the highest score in the West Large segment of the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study of customers’ satisfaction nationally among water customers in the US. Visit jdpower.com/awards for more details.

Media ContactYvonne [e-mail]310-257-1434