The City of Paramount and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water have completed a special round of testing to validate that hexavalent chromium is undetected in the City’s water supply. The State of California standard for hexavalent chromium is 10 parts per billion. The findings from the special round of testing show hexavalent chromium to be less than 1 part per billion (ppb) in Paramount, the detection limit for drinking water. The test results can be found on the Hexavalent Chromium Test Results page.
The results echo similar findings from 2014 as reported in the City’s annually required Consumer Confidence Report.
Mayor Daryl Hofmeyer
“These test results should affirm the confidence our residents have in the City’s water supply in light of the hexavalent chromium air issue that the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has been working to address,” said Mayor Daryl Hofmeyer. “The City’s water services are highly-regulated and continually analyzed, so we are very confident in the quality of our water. The safety of our system is the core mission of our water department. We will continue to proactively test the water for hexavalent chromium on a monthly basis – far exceeding normal requirements. We will share all the results with residents through the City’s communication platforms.”
Paul Williams, District Engineer for the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water
As the lead regulating authority for drinking-water quality in California, the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water provides oversight on water quality for thousands of public water systems in California.
“After working with the City of Paramount to test for the presence of hexavalent chromium, the Division of Drinking Water has determined the City’s water does not exceed the drinking water standard for this contaminant,” said Paul Williams, District Engineer for the Division of Drinking Water. “Paramount’s water meets the drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium and its water is protective of public health.”
The special round of testing that the City conducted in late 2016 exceeded State testing frequency requirements, which do not call for further testing of hexavalent chromium until later this year. But with the recent air quality issues in Paramount related to the SCAQMD’s monitoring for hexavalent chromium, the City’s water utility has undertaken additional testing to assure residents that their water supply is safe. Such testing is in addition to the routine monthly testing activity carried out by the City and reported to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water.
The sampling process involved both the independent testing firm that analyzes the City’s water and the California State Water Resources Control Board. Separate samples of Paramount’s water were taken and sent to independent, State-certified testing labs. The sampling was conducted in December 2016. Again, all samples came back with hexavalent chromium levels below one part per billion, the detection limit for drinking water.
The City’s Annual Water Quality Reports can be found on this website.
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