June 24, 2025
Agenda Item No. 23
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Mark Vukojevic, Utilities Director - 949-644-3011, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Toan Van, Water Quality Coordinator - 949-718-3412, [email protected] TITLE:
2025 Drinking Water Quality Report on Public Health Goals ABSTRACT:
California Health and Safety Code Section 116470 requires all water agencies to prepare a report every three years if any water quality samples collected between 2022 and 2024 exceed a Public Health Goal (PHG) or Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG). These goals are separate from enforceable standards. The City of Newport Beach’s water system meets all state and federal drinking water standards and complies with all Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). However, water testing during the three-year period found that six commonly found constituents exceeded the 100 PHGs or MCLGs, but remained below the enforceable MCLs. Because all regulatory standards are met, no additional measures are recommended to achieve these goals.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Conduct a public hearing;
b) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and c) Receive and file the City of Newport Beach 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report on Public Health Goals.
DISCUSSION:
California Health and Safety Code Section 116470 (b) requires public water systems to prepare a report every three years on water quality measurements that exceeded any PHGs (state goals) or MCLGs (federal goals). These are collectively referred to as Goals.
These Goals are health-based theoretical calculations established by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. They are distinct from enforceable MCLs, which are regulatory standards.
The City’s water system meets all state and federal drinking water standards and complies with all MCLs. In many cases, the detection technology is not available to measure at the micro-levels listed in the Goals.
Attachment A, the 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report on Public Health Goals (covering 2022, 2023, and 2024 data), is the required report. It provides water quality information to the public on constituents detected at levels exceeding an applicable Goal. As required by the State Code, the report includes the numerical public health risk, the type of risk, the best available treatment technology, an estimate of the treatment cost, and an evaluation of whether installation is appropriate and feasible. If the City wished to further reduce the levels of the constituents that are already significantly below the MCL, it would usually require costly reverse osmosis treatment systems. Reverse osmosis is also known to adversely affect other aspects of water quality. The effectiveness of such treatment varies, the additional hypothetical health benefits are modeled calculations and are nearly impossible to quantify accurately. Therefore, no action is proposed at this time.
Newport Beach’s water is in full compliance with all state and federal drinking water regulations, which are designated to protect public health. In addition, every June, the Utilities Department mails a detailed drinking water quality report to all water users. That annual report is also available on the City’s website. Many constituents are commonly found in all neighboring water systems and are similarly reported because of the shared groundwater basin and supplemental imported water. As required by the State Code, a public hearing will be held to accept and respond to public comments on the report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact related to this item.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
Notice of this hearing was published in the Daily Pilot at least 10 days before the scheduled meeting, consistent with the provisions of the Municipal Code. The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment A – 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report on Public Health Goals 23-3
23-1
2025 Drinking Water Quality Report on Public Health Goals June 24, 2025
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