Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco a Reservoir of Good Practice

Conclusions 2

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  https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/EHSdocs/ehsWaterdocs/Cryptosporidiosis_Document_Collection.pdf ​ 35 Cryptosporidiosis Surveillance Project Archive, ​ https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/EHSdocs/ehsWaterdocs/Crypto/Cryptosporidiosis_Surveillance_Project_Reports_A rchive.pdf Note: The 2015 report was not online as of this writing, but was confirmed verbally at SFDPH. ​ 36 SFPUC Questions Regarding Drinking Water Disinfection, June 2013 ​ ​ http://www.sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=4131 Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco
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  The Jury researched and explored several aspects of our drinking water — quality, safety, supply and demand. We found the SFPUC stewardship of the City's water system and supporting resources to be more than satisfactory. Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco 15 REQUEST FOR RESPONSES Findings and Required Response Matrix FINDING RESPONDER F.A.1. The Jury was satisfied with San Francisco Public Utilities ​ Office of the Mayor, Commission (SFPUC) water stewardship as well as the near­term BOS drinking water supply/demand outlook. SFPUC is to be commended. Office of the Mayor, F.A.2. We see little risk of lead from SFPUC water lines. ​ BOS F.A.3. Currently, drinking water contaminants that are below detection ​ SFPUC Water limits for reporting are not shown in the annual water quality report, in Enterprise accord with regulatory guidance. F.A.4. There are no water quality certification programs for buildings. ​ Our public buildings, especially drinking fountains, would benefit from SFPUC Water displaying a dated, lead­safe seal/sticker from the SFPUC on our Enterprise drinking water taps. F.A.5. The SFPUC Regional Water System has not been associated Office of the Mayor, with any waterborne illnesses, and since 1993 this has been documented BOS monthly. SFPUC is to be commended. Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco 16 Recommendations and Required Response Matrix RECOMMENDATION RESPONDER R.A.1. No recommendation. ​ R.A.2. No recommendation. ​ R.A.3. In the interest of transparency, all drinking water contaminants SFPUC Water analyzed (analytes) that do not pose a public security issue should be Enterprise disclosed in the SFPUC Water Quality Annual Report. R.A.4. SFPUC should create a water quality certification program for SFPUC Water buildings, offering at least a dated, lead­safe seal/sticker on/near the Enterprise fixture and visible to the consumer. R.A.5. No recommendation. ​ Reports issued by the Grand Jury do not identify individuals interviewed. Penal Code section 929 requires that reports of the Grand Jury not contain the name of any person or facts leading to the identity of any person who provides information to the Grand Jury. Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco 17 BIBLIOGRAPHY San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Public Documents Annual Report Fiscal Year 2014­15, http://www.sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8207 ​​ Note: The amounts of gallons and customers stated in this report were for us by SFPUC. Annual Water Quality Report 2015, http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=634 ​ Note: The stated amount of 90,090 tests is in addition to the treatment process control monitoring performed by certified operators and online instruments. Drinking Water Sources and Treatment, http://sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=7388 ​​ San Francisco Groundwater Supply, http://sfwater.org/bids/projectDetail.aspx?prj_id=322 ​​ Response to the First Directive of the State Water Resources Control Board http://sfwater.org/cfapps/wholesale/uploadedFiles/SAR%20Incident%20Report%206­9­15.pdf 2013 Public Health Goals Report http://sfwater.org/cfapps/wholesale/uploadedFiles/2013%20PHG%20Report%20Full%20v6­20­13.pdf Lead and Drinking Water, March 2016, http://sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8732 ​ ​ Other Water or Health Agencies San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) Childhood Lead Prevention Program, ​ ​ https://www.sfdph.org/dph/eh/CEHP/Lead/InfoTenant.asp SFDPH Cryptosporidiosis Fact Sheet, March 2009 ​ ​ https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/EHSdocs/ehsWaterdocs/Cryptosporidiosis_Document_Collection.pdf US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Table of Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants, ​ ​ https://www.epa.gov/ground­water­and­drinking­water/table­regulated­drinking­water­contaminants US EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/ucmr/ucmr3/ ​ ​​ Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP), Certified Laboratories as of 1/21/2016. ​ http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs/documents/elap_certified_all_labs.pdf. ​ Note: The PDF or its listings may be out of date. More current SFPUC lab listings can be found searching for “SFPUC” on ELAP’s certification lab map: http://waterboards.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=bd0bd8b42b1944058244337bd2a4ebfa California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal EPA), Public Health Goals for Chemicals in Drinking Water: Lead, 2009, ​ http://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/water/chemicals/phg/leadfinalphg042409.pdf Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Do Faucets Contain Lead? ​ http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/04water/html/Lead_Faucets.htm News Articles and Reference Sites Wikipedia, Metric Prefix, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix ​ ​​ Note: Used for describing one part in a quadrillion (ppq). Associated Press, Pharmaceuticals in Water, 2008 ​ ​ http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/pharmawater_update/index.html San Francisco Chronicle/sfgate.com, SF’s Tap Water Best in Tests, ​ http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/S­F­s­tap­water­best­in­tests­chemists­say­3291449.php Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco 18 APPENDIX 1 ­ CRYPTOSPORIDIUM Cryptosporidium treatment in water is worth understanding, especially in San Francisco. In April 1993, approximately 400,000 people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin became ill from drinking their city’s water. While almost all recovered, it was quickly observed that those with compromised immune systems were at serious risk.31 An intestinal parasite called Cryptosporidium32 was found to be responsible, and health departments and water utilities had to quickly learn how to kill or neutralize this chlorine­resistant organism. Cryptosporidium was a known pathogen in the 1950’s and first identified in humans in 1976. It is easily spread animal­to­human or human­to­human via contaminated hands and/or water. First associated with traveler’s diarrhea, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) documented it in 1982 as causing outbreaks of diarrhea in people with compromised immune systems. The SFPUC water system is not associated with any outbreaks of Cryptosporidiosis (the disease ​​ caused by the Cryptosporidium parasite). Since 1993, SFPUC has partnered with health agencies which have documented to California Department of Health Services (CDHS) and US EPA that Cryptosporidium in SFPUC drinking water is at safe amounts.33 This is impressive work by SFPUC in light of the fact that the Cryptosporidium was not regulated at the time—The first regulation was in 1996 as an amendment to the US Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).34 The multi­agency Bay Area Cryptosporidiosis Surveillance Project (CSP) was formed in 1996. All online CSP quarterly or annual reports confirm “No system–wide, drinking water associated ​ cryptosporidiosis outbreaks were detected, nor were any other common exposures identified among cases.”35 (Wording varies slightly in early reports.) Reports available online begin in 2004, yet contain information dating back to 1996. In 2011, SFPUC installed ultraviolet (UV) light downstream from its Hetch Hetchy reservoirs to inactivate Cryptosporidium and perform primary disinfection before chlorination.36 It is useful to know that dead (treated and thus non­viable) Cryptosporidium are not harmful, yet test methods often combine the live and dead into one result. 31 Minnesota Department of Health website Cryptosporidium, ​ ​ http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/factsheet/com/cryptosporidium.html 32 Ibid. “The principle source of Cryptosporidium contamination is believed to be animals, both domestic and wild.” ​ 33 Documenting this in 1993 was performed as a requirement of a filtration waiver application to the California Department of Health Services, which was approved June 17, 1993. It was subsequently approved by the US EPA on October 29, 1993. The SFDPH confirms SFPUC drinking water has had no waterborne outbreaks of disease, and also that since 2003 it has sent SFPUC a monthly notice of such. 34 SFDPH Cryptosporidiosis Fact Sheet. See Page 17 of the PDF. ​ ​ After the 1996 SWDA amendment, three subsequent US EPA water treatment rules followed in 1998, 2002 and 2006. https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/EHSdocs/ehsWaterdocs/Cryptosporidiosis_Document_Collection.pdf ​ 35 Cryptosporidiosis Surveillance Project Archive, ​ https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/EHSdocs/ehsWaterdocs/Crypto/Cryptosporidiosis_Surveillance_Project_Reports_A rchive.pdf Note: The 2015 report was not online as of this writing, but was confirmed verbally at SFDPH. ​ 36 SFPUC Questions Regarding Drinking Water Disinfection, June 2013 ​ ​ http://www.sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=4131 Drinking Water Safety in San Francisco 19