City of Vallejo, CA

Each year, the City of Vallejo Water Department publishes an Annual Water Quality Report, also called a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), so that customers can be informed about their water quality. It contains test results from State-certified laboratories, to show how your water quality meets, exceeds, or compares to State and Federal drinking water standards.

The Water Quality Reports are available in the Water Department Document Library. They are published by July 1st each year, and provide data for the prior calendar year. These reports are prepared and delivered as required by law, which you can read more about on the State Water Resources Control Board website. Feel free to contact the Water Department if you have any questions about these reports.

• Q: What does the Water Quality Division do, as part of the City of Vallejo Water Department?
  • A: The City of Vallejo Water Quality Division performs the sampling and testing of water throughout all stages of the water treatment process. Our staff collects water weekly from all over the City, so you may even see us collecting water from one of our dedicated sample stations. We are proud to operate a laboratory that maintains State certification and accreditation under ELAP, which you can learn more about on the State Water Resources Control Board website.
    
    
• Q: My water looks/tastes unusual. What’s going on?
  •  A: Does your tap water have an unusual odor or color to it? If you have a sudden or ongoing water quality concern, please refer to “Troubleshooting Your Water”. The most common issues are addressed there. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, we recommend contacting your personal physician.
    
    
• Q: My water looks/tastes different from my neighbor’s water. How is that possible?
  • A: The City of Vallejo delivers high quality water to your home, through a network of pipes all over the City (the Distribution system). While the City is responsible for the maintenance of the Distribution system, it is not responsible for your home plumbing. All pipes past your water meter are private property. If you notice a difference between your and your neighbor’s water, it’s likely due to differences in your plumbing materials and age.
    
    
• Q: Should I be concerned about lead in my tap water?
  • A: None of the pipes in the City’s Distribution system contain lead, therefore the water that reaches your meter does not contain lead. However, lead can potentially leach from any pipes or fixtures that contain the metal, which are more likely in older homes. If your home was built before 1986 (when lead regulations changed), and the pipes, fixtures, flux, and solder are original, they are more likely to contain lead. Homes built after 1986 are at lower risk, however legally “lead-free” plumbing is allowed to contain up to 0.25% lead. You can learn more about lead in drinking water on the EPA's website. Additionally, the Water Department tests for lead and copper from homes throughout the treated water service area every three years. If you’re interested in volunteering for this program, contact the Water Department, and we will add you to our volunteer list when the next sampling event begins. Results from the triennial lead and copper studies are published in the Annual Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library.
    
    
• Q: Should I be concerned about any other chemicals in my tap water, like PFAS or hexavalent chromium?
  • A: The State and Federal governments set drinking water standards for a huge number of chemicals. A big part of water treatment is to remove or reduce chemical concentrations to meet or exceed those drinking water standards. It’s often the case that the raw source water doesn’t even contain a chemical contaminant to begin with, so there’s nothing to remove during treatment. You can read more about drinking water regulations and contaminants on the State Water Resources Control Board website. With respect to PFAS and hexavalent chromium, the City of Vallejo Water Department is currently on track and up to date with all regulatory monitoring requirements. If the Water Department’s monitoring detects a chemical, it will be included in the Annual Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library. If a chemical is monitored but not detected, it may not appear in the report.
    
    
• Q: I’m interested in testing my tap water. How do I do that?
  • A: The City of Vallejo does not provide public water testing services for individual customers. If you are interested in having your tap water tested, you should find a State-certified commercial laboratory. A map of State-certified laboratories is available on the State Water Resources Control Board website; be sure to select a lab that is labeled as “Commercial”, not a “Municipal” lab. You may also contact the State to request a commercial laboratory by calling 916-323-3431, or emailing [email protected]. When you contact a State-certified lab, tell them you’re interested in home water testing, and mention any chemicals for which you might be interested in testing.
    
    
• Q: If there is a water quality emergency, how will I be informed?
  • A: The City of Vallejo Water Department takes pride in the high quality water we produce for our consumers. In the event that water quality does not meet drinking water standards, the Water Department is required by State law to notify the public in a manner appropriate for the severity of the exceedance, by following its Water Quality Emergency Notification Plan. For example, if E. coli were detected in any samples, within 24 hours the Department would notify the State and distribute public notifications about the exceedance through local radio, newspaper, social media, and go door-to-door in any affected areas. If you’re curious what the City of Vallejo Water Department notifications would look like, you can view the State-provided templates on the State Water Resources Control Board website; they would look similar to these. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, we recommend contacting your personal physician.
    
    
    
    
    

The City of Vallejo Water Department takes pride in the high quality water we produce for our consumers. If you notice a sudden or ongoing change in your tap water quality, see some of the most common causes below, and how to troubleshoot them. The goal of troubleshooting is to determine if the issue is with the public water supply, your home plumbing, your drains, or your appliances (water heaters, washers, etc.). We encourage you to contact us if you still have concerns. If you do, it’s helpful to us if you check a few things before, as there are some standard troubleshooting questions we ask:

 

• Do you notice the issue at just one tap in your home, some of the taps, or all of the taps (for example, the kitchen, the bathroom, the washing machine, the dishwasher, etc.)?
• Do you notice the issue with just cold water, just hot water, or both hot and cold water?
• Does the issue go away after running the tap for a few minutes?
• Does the issue happen all the time, at only certain times of day, or only after you’ve been gone away for a weekend?
• Do you have any water filtration system? When was the last time they were serviced, recharged, or had consumables replaced?
• How old are your pipes? If you don’t know, when was your home built?
  
  

Concern: Taste and/or Odor – Does the tap water have an unusual taste or odor? You should confirm that the odor is in fact coming from the water itself, and not the drain. To do this, run the tap for 2 minutes. Then, fill a clean glass with water and turn off the tap. Step a few feet away from the sink, and smell the water in the glass. If the water in the glass does not have an odor, the problem is likely the drain. To disinfect your drain and reduce odors, you can use household/laundry bleach (handle carefully as bleach is a skin and eye irritant). If the water in the glass does have an odor, select from the common odors below to continue troubleshooting.

• Chlorine, bleachy, or pool smells – Chlorine is added to water to kill disease-causing microorganisms, ensuring it is safe to drink. The chlorine residual is kept as low as possible, but still high enough for proper disinfection. People with good senses of smell may be more sensitive. If the smell doesn’t go away after running your tap for a few minutes, fill a clean container with water, then cover and refrigerate it before drinking or using it for cooking; odors are less detectable in cold water and more detectable in warm or hot water.
  
  
• Earthy or grassy smells – If your water smells or tastes earthy, like dirt, grass, or lake water, there are a few possible causes. If you’re certain the odor is not coming from your drain (please read above), then it could be the public water supply. The City of Vallejo draws water from a few different sources, and when we change source waters, there can be an increase in organics, sometimes from algal blooms. This is more likely in warm and hot weather, and should go away after a few days at the most. Earthy, grassy, or algal tastes and odors do not pose a health risk; the City of Vallejo Water Department meets or exceeds all State and Federal drinking water regulations. To make the water more palatable, fill a clean container with water, then cover and refrigerate it before drinking or using it for cooking; odors are less detectable in cold water and more detectable in warm or hot water.
  
  
• Rotten, rotten eggs, sulfurous, or sewage smells – If your water smells or tastes like rotten eggs or sewage, confirm the odor is not coming from your drain (please read above). Then, check if the smell is noticeable in either cold water or hot water. If the smell is noticeable when the tap is running cold water, but not in a glass of cold water, the odor is probably coming from the drain. If the smell is noticeable in hot water, then your water heater may need service. Call a plumber and ask them about water heater flushing or disinfecting.
  
  

Concern: Appearance – Does the tap water have an unusual color, or contain unknown particles? To perform this troubleshooting, you’ll need a clean glass and a well-lit room. Run the tap for 2 minutes. Then, fill a clean glass with water and turn off the tap. Observe the glass of water in good lighting to check for unusual aesthetics.

• Cloudy, bubbly, almost milky white water – Air can dissolve in water just like salt or sugar can. When the dissolved air is released, it appears as very tiny bubbles, which, just like a carbonated soda, can give the water a cloudy appearance. Your water quality is unaffected by this dissolved air. Let the glass of water stand for a few minutes. If the cloudiness is due to air in your water, the bubbles will rise to the surface and the water should clarify from the bottom up.
  
  
• Rusty, reddish, orange, or brown water – DRAFT