Water quality

OCWD has taken proactive measures to ensure high-quality and clean drinking water through extensive monitoring, and by participating in studies, forming work groups, and collaborating with agencies around the world to address and study water quality issues, including PFAS and groundwater cleanup within the North and South Basin. Given this commitment to protect and enhance the quality of the Orange County Groundwater Basin, the District’s Philip L. Anthony Water Quality Laboratory implements a proactive, diverse and comprehensive groundwater and surface water monitoring program to continually generate real-time data.

500

compounds tested

1,500

wells sampled

20,000

samples collected

400,000

results analyzed

*numbers are approximate

The District’s testing capabilities are quite an accomplishment. OCWD can monitor contaminants in its groundwater basin down to one part per trillion. That is like looking for one drop of water in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools—a rather remarkable feat!

In addition to testing water from monitoring wells across the basin, OCWD also provides regional testing of more than 200 drinking water wells for local drinking water providers to help them meet monitoring and reporting requirements mandated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Please visit the website of your water provider to view their most recent water quality report.

OCWD’s water quality priorities:

  • Protect public health.
  • Comply with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
  • Comply with California Title 22 regulations.
  • Protect quality of the groundwater basin for the short and the long term.
  • Maintain comprehensive knowledge of Orange County groundwater quality.
  • Maintain broad knowledge of industry water quality information, data, issues, and best practices.
  • Practice a conservative and proactive approach to water quality management.
  • Create and maintain confidence with respect to potable water reuse.
  • Take an anticipatory approach toward future regulations, water quality standards and desirable outcomes.
  • Follow GWRS monitoring practices that create comprehensive knowledge of output water quality, including assessing potential impacts on groundwater quality.
  • Construct and maintain groundwater monitoring wells.
  • Track trends in contaminant concentrations, anticipate future risks and address them early.
  • Prevent groundwater quality threats from impacting drinking water wells.
  • Coordinate with other agencies to identify local sources of contamination and to limit and prevent release of contaminants.
  • Comply with government-approved cleanup processes.

Groundwater is typically high-quality within the OCWD basin. Recharge basins and the river improve groundwater quality through natural percolation. Purifying recycled water to near-distilled water quality in OCWD’s celebrated Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) not only increases the water supply quantity, but enhances the quality of the water in the groundwater basin. For additional information, view the water quality fact sheet and well monitoring fact sheet, or submit a water quality records request.