Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) and water

Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR): San Francisco Regional Water System

Answer the following questions:

• What is the source of your drinking water?   Where does your water ORIGINATE?  (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)

The source of my drinking water is the San Francisco Regional Water System. The water originates from spring snowmelt flowing down the Tuolumne River that goes into storage in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The Hetch Hetcy Reservoir has two watershed sources: Alameda Watershed and Peninsula Watershed.  The water from these watersheds are treated in the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant.

• What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?

The chemicals that were found in the water that were higher than expected are chromium, trihalomethanes, and copper. 

• What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?

I didn’t expect to have fluoride, lead, and copper in the water.

• Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water?  (sources for this last question include the EPA, CDC, ATSDR and the National Library of Medicine's ToxNet program.

According to EPA, the exposure to high concentration of lead and copper can cause health problems like stomach pain and brain damage.

BLOG about your water quality

•  Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap.

My water comes from a water treatment facility. According to EPA, the water originates from spring snowmelt flowing down the Tuolumne River.

• What did you discover about your water quality?

I discovered that Sierra water source, Tuolumne River, is exempted from filtration requirements by the Environmental Protection Agency and State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water.

• Do you use a filter for your water?

We don’t use a filter for our water in my household.

• What are you trying to filter out?

N/A

• Do you drink bottled water?   How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water (see next exercise)?

Yes, we drink from bottled water. After watching the Story of Bottled Water, I learned that I am harming and polluting the environment. I learned that most of the water bottles end up in landfills or get downcycled. The water bottles are contributing to pollution.

Website: EPA

URL: https://ofmpub.epa.gov/apex/safewater/f?p=136:103:::NO:::