Water Quality Alert

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.