| WHERE
DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?
Daly City gets its water about equally from two sources
- ground water from Daly City's own wells, and surface
water from the Sierra Mountains. We have six wells
located in four areas of Daly City. Daly City has
used ground water from these or other wells for nearly
90 years, and we will continue to rely on inexpensive
ground water in the future.
When the amount of water needed for our customers
cannot be met by ground water alone, we buy water
from the San Francisco Water Department (SFWD). The
vast majority of this water originates from high Sierra
snowmelt in 459 square miles of protected Hetch Hetchy
watershed located in Yosemite National Park. The remaining
20% is derived from 65,000 acres of San Francisco
owned and protected watershed in San Mateo, Santa
Clara and Alameda Counties (Crystal Springs, San Andreas,
Pilarcitos, Calaveras and San Antonio Reservoirs).
All SFWD water is delivered to Daly City via connections
to the seven large aqueducts that run our community.
Besides being a local source of water (and not subject
to aqueduct failures), our ground water is also much
less expensive than purchased SFWD water. In fact,
once a well is constructed, the cost to pump a gallon
of water is one-fourth the cost of SFWD water.
HOW DOES WATER GET TO MY
HOME?
In most areas, both ground water and SFWD water is
blended and then pumped to a steel or concrete reservoir
through large buried pipes. Because Daly City is hilly,
we have many reservoirs at different elevations, and
your water may be pumped several times. Connected
to the large mains are smaller pipes that branch out
and take water down every street in Daly City, with
smaller service connections leading to your home.
HOW DO WE MONITOR WATER QUALITY?
The water delivered to you is monitored every day
of the year by trained water quality specialists.
Water is analyzed in state certified laboratories;
both in Daly City's own laboratory and by private
laboratories. Samples are collected from supply connections,
distribution facilities and throughout the service
area. Over 5,000 tests are performed annually to assure
that Daly City's water is continually of high-quality.
WHAT LAWS RELATE TO WATER
QUALITY?
The quality of drinking water is regulated by the
Federal Government. In 1974, Congress passed the Safe
Drinking Water Act (amended in 1986 and again in 1996)
which required the US Environmental Protection Agency
to establish uniform standards for drinking water.
In California, these standards are enforced by the
State Department of Health Services, and have been
made even more stringent than the Federal standards.
There are two types of Drinking Water Standards. Primary
Standards are related to the protection of public
health and specify limits (called Maximum Contaminant
Levels) that may be harmful to humans if consumed
in excess. Secondary Standards are based on aesthetic
qualities of water such as taste, odor or clarity,
and specify limits for substances that may affect
consumer acceptance of the water.
SHOULD I BUY A WATER TREATMENT
UNIT?
Commercial businesses frequently canvass door-to-door
or by telephone attempting to sell home systems that
filter or treat tap water. These systems range in
price from less than one hundred dollars for simple
filters to thousands of dollars for more elaborate
units. Most sellers use ethical sales methods, but
some make false statements about the quality or source
of tap water, or mislead customers about contaminants
and potential health problems to frighten them into
buying unnecessary devices. One local resident purchased
a device that contained a self-flushing filter unit.
What was not explained to the resident was the manner
in which the flushing cycle mechanism worked, which
caused his water bill to triple after it had been
installed. The device was subsequently removed.
The purchase of a treatment device is unnecessary
in Daly City. Also, since safe operation of a home
treatment device requires regular changing or recharging
of filters, careless maintenance may even cause them
to be detrimental to your water quality. Please call
us right away if someone tells you that you should
buy their product because your tap water is unsafe.
SHOULD I BUY BOTTLED WATER?
Bottled water offers no health or safety advantages
over our own tap water. The source of bottled water
and how it is processed are the keys to its quality,
just as they are for tap water. In fact, many water
bottlers take their water directly from municipal
supplies. Within Daly City, the choice to use bottled
water should be based on personal taste, and not on
health or safety reasons.
One clear advantage of tap water is its price: over
four gallons of Daly City water, delivered to your
tap, cost less than one penny. On the average, bottled
water costs over 80 cents per single gallon.
SOME REMINDERS
USE WATER WISELY
The past winter's heavy rains and flooding have again
demonstrated California's varying water cycle as it
pertains to drought conditions. While it's true drought
restrictions have been removed, our community's increasing
population and subsequent demand on water makes it
necessary to continue to use water in a way that helps
assure our existing collection and storage facilities
handle the growth in demand. Remember, there is never
enough water to waste, so please continue to use water
conservation measures that have been learned from
our drought experience.
COLOR IN THE WATER?
Part of our service to you means repairing pipes that
break - day or night. Sometimes this means closing
valves to one or more streets to allow our workers
to make repairs. Later the valves are opened and the
pipes are flushed. All this activity may sometimes
stir up sediment in the pipes, slightly coloring your
water. The water is safe. To clear it, wait until
after the workers are finished, then run your tap
briefly. The color will disappear. (Be sure to use
the water for your plants.) If you have a question,
just call us.
CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AND GIARDIA
Recent laboratory analysis has shown that Daly City
ground water has no detectable level of these microorganisms.
These analyses are run several times per year to reassure
our customers that the water remains free of this
problem.
NEW FOR 1996
During the past year the reconstruction of Reservoir
#2, at the top of Pointe Pacific, was completed and
brought on line. The reservoir's capacity was increased
by a million gallons providing Daly City with a storage
capacity of around 23 million gallons systemwide,
representing just over three days' emergency supply
under current demands.
Along a similar line, the City has embarked upon a
reservoir isolation project to install radio-controlled
telemetry devices on valves that can be operated remotely
to hold water in place should an emergency occur.
In this way, water remains stored until system disruptions
are repaired or water is rerouted to avoid unnecessary
loss which would hamper fire protection or possibly
impact public health.
The new 'A' Street Pump Station and Well, constructed
as part of the Colma BART Station, should be on line
very soon. This facility will provide improved service
reliability between Reservoir Zones 3 and 5.
We are proud to be of service to you and welcome your
comments on our projects when you see them underway.
|
