City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 14, 2025
Agenda Item: 12.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Public Works Director, Public Works, Water Resources Subject: Approval of 2025 Report on Water Quality and Public Health Goals Recommended Action
Staff recommend that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding that the report provided herein is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); and
2. Hold a public hearing, receive public comments, and approve the attached 2025 City of Santa Monica Report on Water Quality Relative to the Public Health Goals.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica Department of Public Works – Water Resources Division delivers high-quality drinking water to over 93,000 residents as well as businesses and visitors throughout the City. The City’s drinking water supply complies with all Federal and State drinking water standards. Provisions of the California Health and Safety Code Section 116470 require public water systems to prepare a report every three years that includes information on the detection of any elements in the water at levels above Public Health Goals (PHGs) or the equivalent Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs). PHGs are adopted by the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and MCLGs are set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A public hearing is required to accept and respond to public comments on the report. Staff has prepared a summary (Attachment A) and the 2025 Report on Water Quality Relative to the Public Health Goals (Attachment B) to provide information on the water quality of the City’s drinking water supply relative to adopted PHGs and MCLGs. 2 of 4
Discussion
The City’s water quality complies with all of the state and federal health-based drinking water standards established by the California State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water and U.S. EPA.
With advances in technology, the water industry can leverage ever-more sophisticated testing procedures to detect the presence of chemicals in water at levels of parts per billion (or roughly the equivalent of a single drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool). While the presence of any level of contaminants may be concerning to the public, state and federal health standards for drinking water are based on widely-accepted medical science data. The water quality of the City’s drinking water supply is monitored 24/7 across the water system and over 10,000 tests are conducted annually to ensure its quality and safety.
California’s State Water Resource Control Board - Division of Drinking Water and the EPA are responsible for setting regulations and drinking water standards. Drinking water goals include PHGs and MCLGs. PHGs are set by the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and they are the recommended target levels. MCLGs are set by the EPA and are the levels of contaminants in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to public health. Both PHGs and MCLGs are not water quality standards, and they are not required to be met by any public water system. PHGs and MCLGs are goals identifying extremely low risks.
These risks, when normally assessed, pertain to one in one million persons drinking the water over a seventy-year period who may be at risk from a contaminant based on assumptions and theoretical extrapolations available.
Drinking water standards are referenced as Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and Notification Levels (NLs). MCLs are the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water. They are set as closely to PHGs and MCLGs as economically and technically feasible. MCLs are enforceable water quality standards that public water systems must meet. NLs are the concentrations of a contaminant which, if exceeded, trigger treatment or other requirements that public water systems must comply with. 3 of 4
The City’s water quality complies with all of the health-based drinking water standards established by the California State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The 2025 Water Quality Report Relative to the Public Health Goals (Attachment A) has been prepared pursuant to the requirements of the State Health and Safety Code. The report assesses the quality of the City’s groundwater and imported water supplies against PHGs and MCLGs. Trace substances in the City’s water supply are all below the applicable drinking water MCLs required by state and federal regulatory agencies for a safe and high-quality drinking water supply (please refer to Attachment C for the City’s latest annual water quality report). No additional actions are recommended for the treatment of the City’s potable water supply. Copies of the report are available for public review at the City Clerk’s office, the Water Resources Division office, the Main Library, and online at https://www.santamonica.gov/topic-explainers/your-guide-towater. A public notice advising of the availability of the report was published in the Santa Monica Daily Press on September 30, 2025.
Environmental Review
The City of Santa Monica Report on Water Quality Relative to Public Health Goals is not a “project” subject to CEQA. The report is administrative in nature and provides updates on water quality. Pursuant to CEQA Section 21065, the report does not meet the definition of a “project” subject to CEQA as it will not “cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.” Additionally, per Section 15378(b) of the CEQA Guidelines, a “project” does not include organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. Therefore, the report is not subject to CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of recommended action. Staff will return to Council if specific budget actions are required 4 of 4
in the future.
Prepared By: Sunny Wang, Water Resources Manager
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Report on Water Quality Relative to PHGs Summary
B. 2025 Report on Water Quality Relative to Public Health Goals C. 2025 Annual Water Quality Report
D. Powerpoint Presentation