Public Health Goal Guidance Available for ACWA Member Agencies
The Association of California Agencies (ACWA) has released its 2007 Suggested Guidelines for use by public water systems in preparing their required Public Health Goal (PHG) reports to satisfy requirements of California Health and Safety Code Section 116470(b). This guidance was prepared and distributed by ACWA in 1998 when the first report was required and has been updated every three years to correspond with the required triennial reports.
Public water systems serving more than 10,000 service connections must prepare a brief, written report by July 1, 2007 that gives information on the “detection” of any contaminants above the PHGs published by the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). The report must also list the “detection” of any contaminant above the Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) set by USEPA for all other contaminants for which OEHHA has yet to establish a PHG. The report only requires addressing contaminants that have an MCLG or PHG and not contaminants that do not have an MCLG or PHG such as TTHMs, HAAs, unregulated contaminants, and contaminants with secondary standards. Please note the provided guidance represents the minimum information required by law.
These required reports are unique to California. They are required in addition to the extensive annual public reporting of water quality information by California water utilities and in addition to the federally mandated Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs).
Along with the guidance document, ACWA has provided a complete table of OEHHA PHGs, OEHHA’s Health Risk Data Table, Cost Estimates for Treatment Technologies and a Sample PHG Report for your use. The Cost Estimates are not detailed engineering specifications and should only be used as an estimate.
ACWA member agencies can access the suggested guidelines and supported attachments on the ACWA Web site at http://www.acwa.com//issues/waterquality/phg_guidance.asp.
If you have any questions, notice any errors or find any section confusing, please contact Danielle Blacet of ACWA at 916.441.4545.
