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 The City purchases water from the Calleguas Municipal Water District (CMWD) and the United Water Conservation District (UWCD). CMWD is a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California from which it purchases State Project Water. The water supply originates in Northern California and is conveyed over 500 miles to Southern California through the State Water Project’s system of reservoirs, aqueducts and pump stations.
Water is filtered and disinfected at the MWD’s Joseph Jensen Filtration Facility in Granada Hills. MWD uses chloramines to disinfect its water to ensure against forming certain by-products like Trihalomethanes (THM’s), which result when chlorine is added to water with naturally occurring organics. CMWD receives the treated water from MWD via pipeline and either stores the treated water in Lake Bard near Moorpark or feeds the water directly to the Springville Reservoir near Camarillo. The Springville Reservoir, in turn, provides pressurized water directly through the Oxnard Conduit to Oxnard’s four blending stations.
The State of California’s Surface Water Treatment Rule requires that domestic water suppliers using surface water sources conduct a sanitary survey of their source watersheds every five years. CMWD conducted an initial survey of the Lake Bard watershed in 1994 and a subsequent follow-up survey in 1999. The lake is very well protected from contamination. Access to the entire watershed is restricted and CMWD staff monitors all activities in the watershed. Recreational use of the reservoir is not permitted. With continued implementation of watershed protection measures and compliance with all water treatment requirements, CMWD customers are assured of a high quality supply in the future.
UWCD diverts water from the Santa Clara River into the El Rio Spreading Grounds. This groundwater is then pumped from several of UWCD’s own active wells. The El Rio Pumping Station provides pressurized chlorinated groundwater directly through Oxnard-Hueneme (O-H) Pipeline along Rose Avenue to Oxnard’s four blending stations. In 1997, UWCD completed a comprehensive survey of their watershed to identify and monitor potential sources of contamination in their drinking water. A copy of their Water Sanitary Survey is available for review at their office in Santa Paula.
In addition to this, the City of Oxnard operates four active shallow and two active deep groundwater wells. Local groundwater is disinfected with chlorine before the water enters the distribution system. The local groundwater was not used in 1999. The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all Federal and State requirements. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.
The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit their website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater.
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guide-lines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791 or visit their website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater.
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