Los Angeles Water Quality Analysis

Who Regulates the Los Angeles Water Supply?

Providing clean tap water to big cities is a team effort. 

In Los Angeles, several local and national organizations work together, including:

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) regulate contaminants in public water systems. 
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets limits for contaminants in bottled water. 
• The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is in charge of daily monitoring and testing of local water sources and treatment plants. 

Here’s what the LADWP found in their latest water quality report:

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Annual Water Quality Report

Every year, the LADWP publishes its annual water quality report to inform residents about the state of their drinking water.

In their latest report, the city’s water met or exceeded all federal and state drinking water standards set by the EPA. 

They tested 124,000 samples from throughout the city and scanned for over 220 different contaminants. 

Out of the 220 contaminants, only 25 were detected at very low levels. 

Overall, L.A.’s water quality was at least 50 percent better than the EPA’s maximum safety levels. 

But while government regulators pat themselves on the back, not everyone is quite as impressed... 

Environmental Working Group Water Quality Report 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit organization that publishes their own water quality reports. 

Needless to say, they’re a little bit more critical of L.A.'s water. 

Although the EWG agrees that L.A.'s water is in compliance with federal standards, they don’t necessarily agree that it’s safe to drink. 

According to the EWG, “Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.”

That’s because legal limits for contaminants haven’t been updated for almost 20 years!

Recent medical research indicates that the contaminant limits should actually be much lower in order to prevent long-term health issues. 

To make matters worse, the government doesn’t even test for some of the worst contaminants, like PFAS.

The EWG’s latest report found 8 cancer-causing pollutants above healthy limits, including:

• Arsenic: 520x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Bromate: 13x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Chromium: 43x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Haloacetic acids: 105x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Nitrate: 13x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Nitrate and Nitrite: 8.8x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Total trihalomethanes: 189x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
• Uranium: 7x EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES

So which organization should you listen to, the government or the EWG?

On one hand, the government says that L.A.’s water is A-okay. On the other hand, independent non-profits like the EWG give it a thumbs down. 

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which guidelines to follow. 

Where Does Los Angeles Get Its Water?

Los Angeles imports 90 percent of its water from hundreds of miles away in the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

It starts as rainfall and melted snow before filtering into groundwater and making its way through streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and aqueducts.

L.A. has three main water sources:

1. Owens River and surrounding bodies of water: The Owens River, Mono Lake Basin and nearby reservoirs account for one-third of the Los Angeles water supply. The water flows to the city via the Los Angeles Aqueduct. 
2. Colorado River: The Colorado River Waterworks provides approximately half of Los Angeles’ water via the Colorado River and the Colorado River Aqueduct. 
3. Groundwater: Groundwater accounts for close to 10 percent of the city’s water.

Roughly 21 percent of the city’s total water has to be purchased from the Metropolitan Water District. 

In other words, L.A. uses so much water that it has to buy extra from other districts.

Altogether, it takes 1 state-of-the-art filtration plant, 2 aqueducts, 118 tanks and reservoirs and 560 miles of large distribution pipes to supply this sprawling city with drinking water.

Treating Los Angeles City Drinking Water

Los Angeles treatment plants have one main goal: to protect the public from disease-causing viruses and bacteria. 

Before the water reaches your tap, it undergoes several treatment methods, including:

• Ozonation: A powerful oxidizing agent that destroys all bacteria, viruses and cysts when dissolved in water. 
• Filtration: Removes sediment, rust, dirt, debris and other large contaminants. 
• Ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection: Kills harmful microorganisms by blasting them with ultraviolet spectrum light.
• Chloramine: A chemical disinfectant that’s added to distribution pipes to destroy bacteria and viruses on contact.

The LADWP is building two new facilities to beef-up the city’s water treatment. 

One is the Los Angeles Reservoir Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility --- the city’s second UV facility. 

The second is the Headworks Reservoir West, which will supply an extra 60 million gallons of drinking water. 

The LADWP has other upgrades in the mix too, but more on that in a sec…

For now, let’s see how L.A. monitors their water quality day-in-and-day-out:

Testing and Monitoring L.A. Water Quality

The LADWP works around the clock to ensure that L.A.’s tap water meets all safety requirements. 

Whether it’s surface water, groundwater or imported water, each water source has unique challenges. 

Surface water sources, like the Owens Valley, Mono Basin and Los Angeles Aqueduct, are vulnerable to arsenic released from natural geothermal events. 

At the same time, agricultural runoff from livestock can lead to dangerous microorganisms like Cryptosporidium and Giardia. 

Groundwater supplies under urban areas are more susceptible to contamination from...

• Septic system leaks
• Metal finishings
• Dry cleaning 
• Manufacturing
• Storage of pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals

The LADWP specially treats local groundwater supplies and blends them with water from other sources. 

Imported water supplies from the Metropolication Water District and Colorado River Watershed are more likely to be exposed to...

• Stormwater runoff
• Recreational boating activities
• Wastewater discharges
• Wildlife
• Fires and firefighting chemicals

Treatment to remove these pollutants can be expensive and requires extra testing. The MWD tests its water for nearly 400 contaminants and runs over 250,000 tests every year.

Next, let’s take a closer look at the most common contaminants in L.A.’s tap water:

Contaminants Threatening the Los Angeles Water Supply

As L.A.’s water travels over hundreds of miles through rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs and aqueducts, it has plenty of time to pick up contaminants. 

Many of these contaminants are naturally-occuring minerals and radioactive material. 

Most, though, are the result of human activity from manufacturing and industry. 

Some of the most common contaminants in Los Angeles water sources include:

• Microbial contaminants, like viruses and bacteria from sewage plants, septic tanks and livestock operations
• Inorganic compounds, like salts and metals from urban stormwater runoff, industrial wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from agriculture and residential uses
• Organic chemical contaminants from by-products of industrial processes like petroleum production
• Radioactive contaminants, either naturally occurring in the soil or the results of oil, gas and mining operations

Some people are more vulnerable to contaminants than others...

Do you have a weakened immune system from chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS or another immune disorder?

If so, you might be more at risk of side effects from mild water contamination. 

Elderly people and infants are also at risk. 

Ask your doctor for recommendations about safe drinking water. 

Chances are, they’ll suggest installing a high-quality water filter in your home, but more on that later…

For now, let’s take a closer look at what the LADWP is doing to protect you from a dangerous group of contaminants called PFAS:

Protecting Los Angeles Residents from PFAS

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid (PFOS). 

PFOA and PFOS are used to make cproducts stain-resistant, water-proof and non-stick (Teflon). 

Although most manufacturers stopped using PFOS and PFOA in the mid-2000’s, they still pollute the world’s water supply. 

The problem is that once PFAS enter the water, they’re almost impossible to remove. 

Unfortunately, the same goes for the human body --- most people already have PFAS in their system. 

Studies show that PFAS can have serious health effects, like:

• High cholesterol
• Liver and thyroid cancer
• Immunotoxicity
• Hypertension during pregnancy
• Low birth weights
• Decreased fertility

Although the SWRCB recommends limits of PFAS, they aren’t formally regulated. 

Out of hundreds of test samples, the vast majority were well below health advisory levels. 

PFAS are hard to remove, but the LADWP is confident they can keep the public safe. 

If you’d rather take matters into your own hands, an in-home water system can remove up to 99 percent of PFAS, but more on that later…

Next, let’s look at what Los Angeles is doing about another notorious contaminant: lead.

Steps to Reduce Lead and Copper Exposure

Lead is a common component in old distribution pipes and home plumbing.

It’s also a toxic heavy metal with side effects like cancer, birth defects and brain damage. 

Copper is found in pipes too, and it can have severe neurotoxic effects at high levels. 

Fortunately, the LADWP is taking steps to prevent lead and copper exposure, including:

• Between 1978 and 2006, they lined roughly 2,600 miles of distribution pipes with cement to control corrosion. 
• Programs are in place to replace galvanized iron service lines and other vulnerable water mains. 
• In 1998, they started a program to replace lead water meters with lead-free ones. 
• Currently, the LADWP replaces 31,500 active water meters every year. 
• As of July 2018, none of the remaining utility-owned service lines contained lead material. 

They’re also taking serious steps to replace copper and lead pipes in public buildings and private homes…

Schools and single family residences can have their tap water tested for lead and copper at no cost. 

Between 2018 and 2019 the LADWP tested 95 schools -- only three exceeded the recommended limits.

Los Angeles Hydration Stations & the Fight Against Plastic Contaminants

Plastic water bottles, food containers and other commercial products contain a nasty chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA). 

Research shows that BPAS may disrupt hormones and have negative side effects on:

• Sex hormones
• Cell repair
• Thyroid function
• Growth and reproduction
• Infant development
• Energy levels

Single-use plastic water bottles are one of the worst sources of BPAs. 

In fact, if you drink bottled water you’re almost guaranteed to guzzle BPAs!

Nearly 50 million plastic water bottles are used every year, and most of them end up leaching toxic micro-plastics into the water supply. 

In an effort to reduce bottled water use, the LADWP is installing 200 water fountains throughout the city. 

Each one will have bottle-filling stations and some will include spigots to fill water bowls for pets. 

These stations should help cut down on plastic water bottle use and reduce BPA pollution.

Should Los Angeles Residents Use In-Home Water Filters?

As hard as Los Angeles works to provide clean water, it’s still far from pure.

When it comes down to it, the only way to guarantee toxin-free water is to install an in-home water filtration system. 

Water filters come in all styles, shapes and sizes, including:

• Water filter pitchers
• Faucet filters
• Under-sink filter
• Whole-house filters

Some filters use activated carbon to remove chlorine and improve the smell and taste of your water --- others use more advanced methods to remove dangerous contaminants. 

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are one of the most effective types of filters for residential use. 

They combine sediment filters, activated carbon filters, ion exchange resins, RO membranes, polishing filters and remineralization filters to remove up to 99 percent of all pollutants, including lead, copper, PFAS, bacteria and viruses.  

Cloud Water Filters even include built-in software that syncs to an app on your phone so you can monitor your water quality 24/7. 

You’ll never have to worry about water quality ever again!

Click here to learn more.