On January 25, 2018, California Water Service (Cal Water) announced that construction of treatment facilities had been completed to comply with the State Water Resources Control Board’s new state standard of 5 parts per trillion for water in its service areas that were adversely affected by 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). A manmade organic chemical used most often as a soil fumigant until the 1980s, TCP seeped into groundwater supplies in Cal Water’s Bakersfield, Visalia, Selma, South San Francisco, Stockton and Chico service areas.
To achieve compliance, Cal Water has been constructing granular-activated carbon treatment facilities in stages at affected well sites in its Bakersfield, Visalia and Selma Districts. The first phase of construction focused on treatment at the most critical facilities needed to meet customer demand, with subsequent phases to be completed by summer 2018 to enable additional water sources to be brought online. Cal Water also is meeting the new TCP standard in South San Francisco, Stockton and Chico, where fewer detections of the chemical were discovered.
In a press release, Cal Water’s President and Chief Executive Officer Martin A. Kropelnicki said, “Our highest priority has always been to protect the health and safety of our customers. Thanks to the preparation and hard work of our employees, support from our customers and cooperation of our local cities, we continue to deliver a reliable supply of high-quality water that meets increasingly stringent federal and state standards.”
