DATE: November 19, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Water Utilities Department
TITLE: ACCEPTANCE OF THE REPORT ON WATER QUALITY RELATIVE TO PUBLIC HEALTH GOALS
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council receive public comment and accept the report on water quality relative to Public Health Goals.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
California public water systems are highly regulated by State and Federal regulations to ensure drinking water quality and protect public health. The California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) establishes Public Health Goals (PHGs), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) establishes Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) for drinking water contaminants. The PHGs/MCLGs are guidelines and are not requirements for any public water system. Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) set by the State or Federal EPA are the mandatory limits for all public water systems, while PHGs/MCLGs are recommendations and are frequently much lower than the MCLs.
Under provisions of the California Health and Safety Code (HSC ? 116470), once every three years, the City is required to prepare a special report (Attachment 2) identifying water quality measurements that have exceeded PHGs or the MCLGs. Additionally, the City must provide an estimate of the cost to reduce the contaminant(s) to the PHG or MCLG. When applicable, in order to reduce the contaminant(s) to the or MCLG, the City will use Best Management Practices (BMP) and/or the Best Available Technology (BAT). The Code also requires that a public water system conduct a public hearing and receive comments from the public relative to the report.
Analysis
For the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, the report shows that Oceanside's drinking water continues to meet all State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW), and USEPA drinking water standards set to protect public health. T...
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