Welcome to the East Valley Water District

Engineering and Operations Information

Water Testing and Treatment

Groundwater is a fragile resource that can be easily polluted by improper handling or disposal of harmful chemicals and wastes onto the ground. Groundwater moves slowly through soil and rock, and pollutants that get into it are not quickly flushed out or diluted. Once ground water becomes polluted, it is difficult and expensive to clean. In some cases, cleaning may be impossible.

Many substances can make water unsafe, and some can cause serious illness. Natural dangers to water can include bacteria, viruses, animal waste, plant decay, and minerals such as lead and mercury. Dangers resulting from human activities include fertilizers, pesticides, motor oil, road salt, sewage, industrial waste, gasoline and heating oil leaks.

Household toxic dumping is a major source of water pollution. For example, Americans improperly dump over 200 million gallons of motor oil each year - an amount equal to 20 times the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Motor oil is just one household substance that can contaminate water. Paint, solvents, batteries, motor oil, anti-freeze and many cleaners are toxic. Dumping hazardous waste down drains or into the soil may foul the treatment plant, or worse yet, the environment.

Thanks to water suppliers and other groups, there is a lot being done to protect our water supply. Local water suppliers play a key role in keeping public drinking water safe. The public can learn more about water quality by asking for materials that are available from the District, the state water agency, local public health departments and the regional EPA office.

It may seem that wastewater disappears after it is flushed or drained away. In actuality, it enters the District’s sewage collection system, which delivers over two billion gallons of wastewater per year safely to a treatment plant. This system was carefully designed to drain by gravity so that expensive pumping is not required. The sewage in the system flows to a regional treatment plant that works jointly with the cities of San Bernardino and Loma Linda. Cooperating with other agencies in a regional plant saves money through economies of scale. The plant must meet strict quality standards because it returns cleaned wastewater to the Santa Ana River where it is reused by downstream communities.

The treatment process makes the wastewater so clean that it is virtually indistinguishable from drinking water. It is then permitted to be discharged into the Santa Ana River. However, the wastewater treatment plant is not designed to remove toxic chemicals. Hazardous waste that is poured down drains may ultimately end up back in the groundwater or in the Santa Ana River.

Water suppliers must test drinking water to make sure it is safe. Test results are reported to state and federal governments, and suppliers must notify customers if the test results do not meet certain standards.

Federal, state and local governments also work to improve and protect drinking water.

The Safe Drinking Water Act provides standards for public drinking water. Primary standards set maximum levels for contaminants that may be a threat to health. Secondary standards set recommended maximum levels for contaminants that affect water’s taste, color, odor or appearance. Additional standards help prevent sources of our drinking water from becoming contaminated.

The Clean Water Act aims to make all surface water safe for swimming and fishing by setting quality standards, improving wastewater treatment, regulating disposal of industrial wastes and controlling runoff from streets and fields.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages these acts and also helps protect water supplies through grants, training programs, and research. The Environmental Protection Agency Hotline is (800) 426-4791.

Consumers can share in the task of keeping drinking water safe by being responsible when disposing of hazardous substances. Other responsibilities include never dumping residual hazardous materials down drains or on the ground, following product warning labels and obeying state and local regulations. For information on disposing of household hazardous chemicals, residents should call (800) 645-9228.

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