The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) established a new Hexavalent Chromium Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion (ppb), effective October 1, 2024. 

Initial monitoring completed by the Central Water District showed that one of the District's three water wells exceeded the new MCL, with an average result of 13 ppb.  Therefore, the District was required to send out notices to all customers.  The State of California also requires schools, businesses, and residential rental property owners/managers to notify consumers (e.g., employees, students, parents, tenants, etc.) about the distributed notice.

Notices must be reissued each quarter that the well still exceeds the Maximum Contaminant Level.  Please note that the  District is working with SWRCB to address the exceedance and comply with the MCL.

Hexavalent Chromium, also known as Chromium-6 or Cr6+, is a naturally occuring metallic element found in certain rocks and soils.  It can enter groundwater as these materials weather or  break down.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) establishes drinking water standards to ensure that your tap water is safe to drink.  States must adopt these standards, but may also set standards that are more strict.  The current standards for Chromium-6 are as follows:

• Federal :  There is no federal standard.
• California:  The current MCL is 10 ppb.  

For perspective, 1 ppb is about one drop of water in an olympic-size (660,000 gallon) swimming pool.​​​​​​

Your tap water is still safe to drink.  Chromium-6 regulations address long-term (70+ years) exposure risks.

The District continues to meet all other state and federal drinking water standards, and is working towards a permanent, long-term solution to meet the Hexavalent Chromium 10 ppb MCL.

The District is actively working with SWRCB to address the exceedance and comply with the MCL by the October 1, 2028 compliance date. This includes:

• Conducting a water system evaluation to determine the best steps forward.  In progress
• Developing a Compliance Plan and submitting it to the SWRCB Division of Drinking Water for approval.  In progress

During this time, the well that exceeds the Cr6+ MCL will be tested quarterly, and the District will continue construction of the Well 14 replacement well, that has an initial Cr6+ result of 1.1 ppb.  

If you need further assistance, please contact the District Office during our regular business hours, Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Call :   (831) 688-2767

Visit :   400 Cox Road, Aptos, CA  95003

Email :   admin@centralwaterdistrict.us.com