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Your
drinking water supply in Daly City has continued
to exceed all mandated health requirements of
both State and Federal standards and continues
to be an excellent value. |
| If
you ever have any questions
about your water, use this guide to find the right
phone number to call. |
| (650)
991-8082 |
For questions about your water bill, or to start
or stop service, call Utility Billing in the
Department of Finance. |
| (650)
991-8200 |
To
report a problem or a leak (24 hours a day),
get water quality or other technical information,
or for issues not listed, call the Department
of Water and Wastewater Resources. |
WHERE DOES THE WATER COME FROM?
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Daly
City gets its water about equally from two sources:
groundwater from Daly City's own wells, and
surface water from the Sierra Mountains and
local watersheds. We currently operate six wells
which are strategically located in four geographic
areas of Daly City. This system has been a safe
and reliable resource for nearly 90 years and
will continue to be utilized into the foreseeable
future. |
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When
the amount of water needed for our customers
exceeds the groundwater supply, we buy water
from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
(SFPUC). The vast majority of this water is
from high Sierra snowmelt into 459 square miles
of the Hetch Hetchy watershed located in Yosemite
National Park. About 20% of SFPUC water comes
from 65,000 acres of local protected watersheds
owned by the SFPUC. These include the Crystal
Springs, San Andreas, Pilarcitos, Calaveras
and San Antonio Reservoirs. The SFPUC water
is delivered to Daly City via connections to
seven large aqueducts that run through our community.
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HOW DOES WATER GET TO MY HOME? |
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In
most areas, both groundwater and SFPUC water
is blended and then pumped to a large tank (reservoir)
through buried pipes for storage. Because Daly
City is hilly, these reservoirs are at several
elevations. The water served at your tap may
have been pumped from reservoir to reservoir
to serve the water zone where you reside. Connected
to the large transmission mains are smaller
diameter distribution pipes that branch out
and take water down every street in Daly City,
with smaller service connections leading to
your home. |
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HOW DO WE MONITOR THE WATER
QUALITY? |
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Trained
water quality specialists monitor the water
delivered to you every day of the year. Your
water is analyzed by state certified laboratories,
both in Daly City's own laboratory and by privately
contracted laboratories. Samples are collected
from our wells, supply connections, distribution
facilities, and throughout the service area.
Over 5,000 individual tests are performed annually
to assure Daly City's water is continually of
high quality. |
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WHAT LAWS RELATE TO WATER
QUALITY? |
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The
basic drinking water law is the Federal Safe
Drinking Water Act first enacted in 1974 and
amended in 1986 and again in 1996. This law
requires the United States 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 more stringent than the Federal
standards. |
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ACTIVITIES
DURING 1998
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During
1998 Daly City continued to participate in the
Water Supply Master Plan which is a joint effort
between the SFPUC and the Bay Area Water Users
Association (BAWUA). BAWUA is comprised of 29
Bay Area municipal and private water utilities
that purchase some or all of their water supply
from the SFPUC. Daly City purchases approximately
half the water provided to its residents. This
planning effort is intended to examine water
supply issues of today through the year 2050.
In a separate but related effort, Daly City,
San Francisco, San Bruno and the California
Water Service Company have continued a partnership
which is examining the establishment of a groundwater
management plan for the Westside Basin Aquifer
aimed at enhancing the benefit of this valuable
natural resource. |
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| Work
is underway to test all of the City's computer-based
equipment in preparation for the Y2K (year 2000)
event, which has been receiving so much recent
publicity. The City is working to ensure all
its equipment is "Y2K compliant" and that operations
affecting your water service will continue without
interruption. |
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JULY
WATER QUALITY INCIDENT |
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Each week 25 samples are collected throughout
the system for bacteriological examination.
The test organism for detection is Coliform
bacteria. This is a general classification of
non-pathogenic intestinal microorganisms associated
with warm-blooded animals. These microorganisms
are naturally occurring in the environment.
Additionally, the water is tested for Fecal
Coliform (E. coli) microorganisms. These are
similar organisms as in total coliform but are
an indication of possible pathogens (disease
causing organisms) in the given sample. |
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During July 1998, one sample site on Penhurst
Court tested positive for both total and E.
coli coliform. The City collected a follow-up
sample, plus two more in accordance with mandated
sampling protocol, to determine the cause of
the detection. Two of these three samples tested
positive again, and all three samples tested
clear the next day. There were no other samples
in the City that tested positive during this
event and to date there have been no additional
positive E. coli coliform results from the specific
sample site. |
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Despite
the fact that all appropriate procedures were
followed in troubleshooting the problem, the
State Department of Health Services determined
in September that the City had exceeded the
coliform bacteria MCL for July and had not properly
informed them (DHS) of the July event and placed
the City in noncompliance for the month. As
a result, Daly City was required to notify all
its customers by letter and placed a public
notice in the San Mateo Times on September 7,
1998. DHS stated this was a non-recurring violation
and no further action was required by the City
or the citizens. |
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Again,
this was an isolated incident whose cause was
most likely attributable to sampling error in
the field. Follow-up visits with all the residents
from the homes sampled revealed none of them
had suffered any ill effects or symptoms during
the period in question and there have been no
further detections of E. coli. As a means to
avoid a similar occurrence, Daly City revised
its sampling procedures and has installed a
number of new, above ground water sampling pedestals.
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The
City of Daly City strives to provide extremely
high quality water to the public and does so
consistently. The isolated microorganism event
is not an indication of the quality of the water
served our public and you can be assured you
receive a safe and pure water supply every time
you open your tap. |
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CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AND GIARDIA |
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Continued
laboratory analysis has shown that Daly City
groundwater has no detectable level of these
microorganisms. These analyses are run several
times a year to reassure our customers that
the water remains free of this problem.. |
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