Water Quality Alert
Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy and Huntington Park
Golden State Water Company (Golden State Water) has been
providing reliable water service to Californians for more than 90
years, and water quality has always been our top
priority.
We are contacting customers served by our Bell-Bell Garden water
system to share the update that recent tests have detected the
presence of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and
Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) in the groundwater extracted
by one Golden State Water Company’s wells that supply the
Bell-Bell Gardens system. Golden State Water has proactively
taken the well out of service. Golden State Water has
elected to take these steps to ensure customers can rest assured
regarding the quality of their water. Although customer
notification is not required, we are taking steps to proactively
make you aware to maintain full transparency with regards to
water quality.
The Bell-Bell Garden system provides drinking water to customers
in portions of the cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy and
Huntington Park. The water delivered to customers in these
communities has and continues to meet all quality and safety
standards, which are established to protect public health.
Background
In September 2020, the State Water Resources Control Board
(SWRCB) issued more than 200 orders to water providers throughout
California to conduct sampling for PFOA and PFOS in their
systems.
Tests conducted at Golden State Water’s Clara Well 2 (Bell-Bell
Gardens system) detected the presence of PFOA at 10.5 parts per
trillion (ppt), above the state’s Notification Level of 5.1 ppt
and Response Level of 10 ppt. The presence of PFOS was detected
at 24.5 ppt, above the Notification Level of 6.5 ppt, although
below the Response Level of 40 ppt.
About PFOA and PFOS
PFOA and PFOS are fluorinated organic chemicals that have been
used in the making of domestic products such as carpets, cookware
and other products that are resistant to water, grease or stains.
PFOA and PFOS have also been used for suppressing fires,
primarily at airfields and military bases.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most
people have been exposed to PFOA and PFOS because they are used
in an array of consumer products. While consumer products and
food are a large source of exposure to these chemicals for most
people, drinking water can be an additional source in the small
percentage of communities where these chemicals have infiltrated
water supplies.
Additional Information/Resources
Golden State Water routinely monitors and tests its water, and
water quality test results are directly submitted from the
State-certified laboratory to the SWRCB’s Division of Drinking
Water (DDW) and recorded on the State’s website for full
transparency. Visit the DDW website
(sdwis.waterboards.ca.gov/PDWW/) to view test results. Golden
State Water also makes water quality information available via
annual Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR).
To learn more about PFOA and PFOS, customers are encouraged to
visit gswater.com/pfoa-and-pfos/ or call one of our
friendly customer service representatives at
1.800.999.4033.
Golden State Water takes great pride in our record of providing
high-quality water and exceptional service to customers. Thank
you for being a valued customer.
Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre su agua de
beber. Si tiene preguntas, porfavor llamenos al numero
1.800.999.4033.