CALIFORNIA STATE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DRINKING WATER TEST RESULTS
The California State Department of Health, Drinking Water Division, Sacramento,
California, has all of the water test data from every public drinking water
source in the State of California, dating back to 1970.
These tests are required by the EPA and the State of California, due to
possible health effects, when various metals, herbicides, pesticides and other
substances are found in drinking water sources.
1) A review of all water tests in the State of California between 1984 and 2008 from results on this CD was conducted over a six-month period. Every water test result over -0- was analyzed and checked to find any unusual water contaminant data. The results of this search yielded some unusual statistics here in Mendocino and several other Northern California Counties.
2) It
was discovered that Barium, Magnesium, Lead, Manganese, Aluminum, Iron, Sodium,
and Specific Conductance (the ability of water to conduct a charge), were being
found under unusual circumstances in our drinking water supplies. Unusual
spikes were occurring in almost all drinking water sources in Mendocino County
and in other counties throughout the State of California.
Prior to 1990, these spikes were not evident in drinking water tests results
(most tests results were -0-), unless there were historic levels in the water
shown by test results each year from 1984. The test results do show that
in non-spike years these contaminants were not found in most water sources.
Why?
3) These
specific spikes started in 1991, and have continued in certain specific years
through 2006. The interesting part of these water spikes is that these
contaminants almost always spike at the same time and in the same year. If, for
example, Specific Conductance is high, then all or almost all the other test
results are high at the same time. (Other test results revealed that Boron,
Silver and sometimes Zinc were also present during these spikes in some water
tests.)
The Albion Mutual Water Company East Well, used as only one example, shows
Specific Conductance spiking in 1995, along with Magnesium and Lead. Again in
2001, Specific Conductance spikes and so does Magnesium and Manganese. The
years prior to and in between these dates show -0- results. The Albion Mutual
Water Company West Well, for example shows all -0- readings until 1998, when
Specific Conductance, Magnesium, Sodium and Aluminum all spike.
The Calpella County Water District has definite spike patterns of Magnesium,
Barium, Iron and Manganese in the years 1995, 1998 and 2001. The Covelo Eel
River Charter School Well 01, shows Magnesium, Barium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc
and Specific Conductance spikes in 1999 and 2001, with Specific Conductance
reaching a high of 5,390.
In 1999, the Fort Bragg CSP-Mackerricher State Park Lake Cleone Intake Supply
Raw, water tests show spiking in 1999 for Specific Conductance (1290),
Magnesium (20), Chloride (325), Barium (54) and aluminum (64). Note that test
results are in parts per billion. What is interesting is that Iron(1600 ppb)
spikes in 2001, along with Manganese (2200 ppb), in this raw water supply.
The unusual part is that these water test results are consistent in almost
every single public drinking water source in all of Mendocino County, whether in
Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Hopland, Laytonville or Willits. The spikes are consistent
in some years, vary in parts per billion (ppb), but show that something unusual
is happening to the air in Mendocino County which is impacting the quality of
our water. Since these diverse water sources are not connected it is believed
that air pollution is the major source of these contaminants in our drinking
water supplies.
4) Why are these spikes only found
since 1994? Why do these contaminants only spike as a group and not, in the
majority of cases, independently of one another? And why is every single public
drinking water source showing some form of this spike pattern? The California
Air Resources Board Statewide Summary for Iron, Aluminum, Iron, Zinc, Manganese
and Barium, also show positive air test results between 1989 and 2001. Our
water test spikes appear to correlate strongly with California Air Quality test
results. Why?
5) What is causing these water
spikes in Mendocino County? How is this impacting the quality of the water we
drink? What impact do these spikes have on public health, the quality of our
water, our air, soil and trees? What is the source of these pollutants?
Industry, jet fuel emissions…what is happening in Mendocino County and in other
counties throughout California? There are many questions and few answers. Why
are the California Air Resources Control Board Air Testing Results correlating
in some respects with our positive water test results?
(In an article in the Sunday, February 23, 2003, edition of the Sacramento Bee,
written by Chris Bowman, it was noted that Tungsten (not normally tested for in
public drinking water supplies), was found in Elk Grove, Sacramento, in
drinking water supplies, and in tests conducted on trees rings in that area as
well. Similar results were found in Fallon, Nevada and Sierra Vista, Arizona.
The
trees tested in this pilot project included Redwood trees and showed huge
increases in Tungsten in the past ten years in tree ring tests. It would be
interesting to determine whether Tungsten, a potential carcinogen may be found
in Mendocino County trees, air or public drinking water supplies.
6) Why hasn't the California State
Department of Health or the EPA taken action to find out why we are having
these water test results in Mendocino County, especially when some of the test
results are above both state and federal standards? If these contaminants
are being found in public wells in Mendocino County. Does this mean that contaminants are also
being found in private wells?
Are similar patterns found in Humboldt, Lake, Sonoma, Napa and other Northern California Counties? I believe that the answer is yes! Why?
There are many unanswered
questions about these test results, this unusual spiking pattern and the
variation in test results. If you would like more information please contact
your local, state or federal elected public representatives and/or the
California State Department of Health or the California State Air Quality
Control Board in Sacramento. If you would like copies of these graphs or the
data results please contact Rosalind Peterson, (707) 485-7520 or E-Mail:
info@californiaskywatch.com
The California State Department of Health CD (1984-2006) may be obtained by
calling the California State Department of Health Drinking Water Division at (916)
449-5568, Post Office Box 942732, Sacramento, California 94234-0732.
(A CD containing all of this data is
available to the public free from the
California State Department of Health Drinking Water Division in
Sacramento.)
If you are interested in an
inexpensive and fast way to obtain these results for your individual water
supply please contact your local water district, like the City of Ukiah, or
your county water district or drinking water supplier. They order the tests,
which are subsequently sent to the California State Department of Health,
Drinking Water Division, Sacramento, CA, to be recorded on their CD.
These historical and current water test data results are available to the
public in California under the California Public Records Act. These test results are available to the
public in every state under EPA Rules and Regulations.