Problems We Found In Stockton, California Drinking Water

Analies Dyjak | Research Analyst

Updated May 28, 2021 to include most recent water quality data

Our Water Nerds analyze data from the City of Stockton to better understand present contaminants in your tap water.We also use data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), toxicity studies, scientific and medical literature, as well as from samples that we collect and analyze. The undersink water filters that we build and sell to people who live in Stockton are optimized with all of these things in mind.

Source Of Stockton Drinking Water

California Water uses a combination of local groundwater and water purchased from the Stockton East Water District, which is imported from the New Melones and New Hogan Reservoirs. The City Stockton's water system includes 27 active wells, one well being prepared to go online, 17 booster pumps, and 12 storage tanks.

Arsenic In Stockton Drinking Water

Arsenic is a toxic metal that is known to cause cancer and other health issues. Arsenic contamination originates from the source water itself, and is more prominent in areas (like Stockton) that pull water from groundwater sources. Like other municipalities in the same region, Stockton's drinking water has detectable levels of arsenic in the drinking water, on average 3.6 parts per billion according to the most recent data. Because of this, Stockton made the following public disclosure:

"While your drinking water meets the federal and state standards for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. The arsenic standards balance the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. The EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects, such as skin damage and circulatory problems." 

We highly recommend that anyone with more than 1 part per billion take steps to remove arsenic from their water, especially if they have children. 

Chromium 6 In Stockton Drinking Water

Chromium 6 is a toxic metal that is not regulated by the EPA, despite being a common discharge from steel processing plants, tanneries, and metal plating facilities. In recent years, tap and drinking water in Stockton has averaged 790 parts per trillion for Chromium 6. For the sake of perspective, these levels are 40 times higher than the concentration determined to have negligible impact on cancer risk by the state of California.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) In Stockton Drinking Water

DBPs are a category of emerging contaminants that form when chlorine-based disinfectants react with naturally-occurring organic matter. Although these chemicals are not currently regulated very well, the EPA website discloses that exposure to high levels of disinfection byproducts are associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, as well as kidney, liver, and central nervous system problems.

Still Have Questions About Stockton Tap Water Or Water Quality In General?

Hydroviv is a water filtration company that uses water quality data to optimize whole house water purifiers for each customer's water. The contaminants that we list above are what we consider to be major “points of emphasis” that we use to build water filters that are built specifically for Stockton, but our filters provide broad protection against a wide range of contaminants found in Stockton's tap water, including lead, VOCs, and pesticides.

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