Agenda Report
December 5, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Municipal Services Committee (November 8, 2022) FROM: Water and Power Department
SUBJECT: ACCEPT AND APPROVE THE CITY OF PASADENA'S 2022 PUBLIC
HEAL TH GOALS REPORT ON WATER QUALITY (WATER AND
POWER DEPARTMENT)
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council conduct a public hearing, receive public comment on the Water and Power Department's recommended 2022 Public Health Goals ("PHG") Report, and upon closing the public hearing:
1. Find that the proposed action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to Section 21065 of CEQA and CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060 (c)(2), 15060 (c)(3) and 15378, and, as such, no environmental document pursuant to CEQA is required; and
2. Accept and approve the 2022 PHG Report.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Pasadena's ("City") water meets or surpasses state and federal regulatory requirements for continued delivery of high quality drinking water.· As part of the water quality reporting process, Pasadena Water and Power ("PWP") publishes PHG Reports and Consumer Confidence Reports ("CCR").
Public Health Goals Report
Every three years, community water utilities like PWP are required by the California Environmental Protection Agency ("CalEPA") to prepare a PHG Report. The report describes the occurrence of constituents present in its treated water that have concentrations greater than the PHG levels established by CalEPA and the Maximum Contaminant Level Goals ("MCLGs") established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("USEPA"). These goals are the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. It should be noted that PHGs and MCLGs are not enforceable standards and often, it is not possible to remove MEETING OF 12/05/2022 AGENDA ITEM NO. __ 1_6 __ _
2022 Public Health Goals Report
December 5, 2022
or reduce constituents to the level of PHGs and MCLGs, as it may be technologically impossible or the cost would make tap water unaffordable.
The report includes a description of the types of public health risks, treatment methods if available, and related estimated costs. Additionally, the public must have the opportunity to· review and comment on the PHG Report and for the City Council to accept and approve the PHG Report.
The PHG Report is available on PWP's webpage in the water quality section, which may be accessed using the following link: http://www.PWPweb.com/WaterQuality/.
Consumer Confidence Report
The City's tap water has met all of the enforceable drinking water quality standards set by the USEPA and CalEPA. There is no City Council action required on the annual publication of the CCR. The 2021 CCR was published on July 1, 2022, and is directly accessible at http://www.pwpweb.com/ccr2021 and is also available in the water quality section of PWP's website at http://www.PWPweb.com/waterquality/. PWP also distributed the CCR to its customers as mandated by State and Federal law, using mail notification as a utility bill insert and posting the CCR in numerous public places and via social media channels.
City Continues to Meet Water Quality Standards
USEPA and CalEPA cooperate to protect drinking water quality and to set enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels ("MCL"). The enforceable MCL limits are established with consideration of health, economic, and operational impacts. PWP routinely tests for MCL compliance and summarizes the results in an annual CCR. The City's water continues to meet all MCLs.
ENVIRONMENT AL ANALYSIS:
The acceptance and approval of the PHG Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to Section 21065 of CEQA and CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060 (c)(2), 15060 (c)(3), and 15378. CEQA Guidelines Section 15060 (c)(2) states that an activity is not subject to CEQA if "the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment". The proposed activity consists of accepting a report on water quality information . No direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment would result from this report. Therefore, the proposed activity is not a "project" subject to CEQA, as defined in Section 21065 of CEQA and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. Since the action is not a project subject to CEQA, no environmental document is required.
2022 Public Health Goals Report
December 5, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact as a result of this action and it will not have any indirect or support cost requirements. There are no anticipated impacts to other operational programs or capital projects as a result of this action.
Prepared by:
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AMY GEORGE
Principal Chemist
Water and Power Department
Approved by:
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MIGEL MARQUEZ
City Manager
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Water and Power Department
Attachment: 2022 Public Health Goals Report