Water Purity
A Times article (June 18), “House Votes Tighter Controls on Water Purity,” incorrectly states that “. . . According to a 1982 study, for example, Los Angeles’ drinking water contains 130 parts per billion of trichloroethylene compared to the legal limit of 3 parts per billion in some states.”
This statement concerning Los Angeles drinking water quality is erroneous.
Eighty percent of the city’s water comes from surface sources in the form of snow melt from the eastern Sierra and contains no trichloroethylene (TCE). Another 5% is from the State Aqueduct system and Colorado River Aqueducts operated by the Metropolitan Water District; these sources contain no TCE. The remaining 15% of the city’s water is local ground-water that does contain traces of TCE.
The state has set an “action limit” of 5 parts per billion for TCE. Over the last 12 months, the average level of TCE in the ground-water supply has been 3.5 parts per billion, well under the state’s “action level.” Since over 60% of this TCE evaporates when it passes through open reservoirs, the level of TCE reaching most department customers who receive ground-water is about 2 parts per billion.
I want to assure you and our DWP customers that they are receiving safe, high quality drinking water.
PAUL H. LANE
General Manager
and Chief Engineer
Department of Water and Power
Los Angeles
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