OCWD Update
September 2021
The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) strives to supply clean, reliable drinking water to 2.5 million customers every day. OCWD and the local water suppliers in its service area are committed to operating in compliance with all state and federal guidelines and regulatory requirements.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of chemicals that are used to make carpets, clothing, fabrics for furniture,
food packaging, cookware, and other materials to make them non-stick and/or resistant to water, oil, and stains. They are also used in a number of industrial processes and firefighting activities.

PFAS have been detected in the Orange County Groundwater Basin. OCWD provides regular PFAS updates to community stakeholders to inform them of the proactive measures that the District and local water suppliers have taken to address PFAS in the Basin. 

For more background information, please see the materials below:
FAQ
REGULATORY HAPPENINGS
  • On July 22, the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced proposed Public Health Goals (PHGs) and availability of a draft technical support document for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in drinking water. A PHG is the level of a drinking water contaminant at which adverse health effects are not expected to occur from a lifetime of exposure while considering the impacts to sensitive subpopulations.

  • The draft PHG for PFOA is 0.007 nanograms per liter (ng/L) or parts per trillion (ppt) and for PFOS the draft PHG is 1 ng/L or ppt.

  • The draft technical support document was released for public comment July 30, 2021 and ends September 28, 2021. OCWD intends to submit comments on the draft PHGs to ensure that their development followed a robust and scientific approach.

  • OEHHA will hold a public workshop on September 28, 2021 and must also submit the PHGs for external scientific peer review before they are finalized. It is anticipated that the process for finalizing the PHGs will take approximately one year. Once final PHGs are adopted, the state Division of Drinking Water (DDW) can formally begin the process of developing enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) drinking water standards, which is currently anticipated to take approximately two years.


LEGISLATIVE HAPPENINGS

  • OCWD continues to monitor state and federal PFAS legislation and encourages water agencies and stakeholders to take action by contacting your legislators to advocate for the following priorities:

  • Preserve the Safe Drinking Water Act’s use of cost-benefit analysis in the development of drinking water standards such as the PFAS family of chemicals and other constituents of emerging concern.

  • Exempt water and wastewater agencies from any liability for PFAS clean-up costs.

  • Provide funding for PFAS remediation to water and wastewater agencies.


LOCAL ACTIVITIES

  • OCWD continues testing local water supplier wells in compliance with the third PFAS monitoring order that was formally issued by the state Division of Drinking Water (DDW) in March. The orders require year long quarterly testing.

  • OCWD and its local water suppliers continue making significant headway on new groundwater treatment facilities with the goal of getting wells back online as soon as possible.

  • The City of Fullerton's Kimberly Well 1A PFAS Treatment Plant is Orange County’s first wellhead filtration treatment plant to remove PFAS from local well water to go online. Operational in June the facility treats up to 3,000 gallons per minute. The Fullerton facility is one of 26 PFAS treatment facilities being designed and constructed by OCWD in the next two years.

  • Currently 11 impacted local water suppliers are moving forward with design or construction of facilities. Local water suppliers building facilities include the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana, and Tustin; Serrano Water District; East Orange County Water District; Golden State Water Company, Irvine Ranch Water District and Yorba Linda Water District.

  • Construction is underway for four water suppliers including Yorba Linda Water District and Serrano Water District whose facilities should be online in November, and the City of Garden Grove which is building facilities for five wells at four locations and the City of Orange which is building facilities at four well sites. OCWD is in design phase for six additional supplier facilities including East Orange County Water District, City of Fullerton, Golden State Water Company, Irvine Ranch Water District, City of Santa Ana and City of Tustin.

  • The University California, Irvine (UCI) led PFAS study has been delayed due to COVID-19 and is now expected to start participant recruitment for the study in late September with start up of the study in October. 1,000 adults and 300 children are expected to be recruited for the study.
MEDIA
PFAS are not exclusive to Orange County or even California. States across the country are in the midst of tackling PFAS in consumer products, groundwater supplies and other forms of contact. OCWD continues to monitor what is happening around the country on this issue.