Providing safe, reliable drinking water is a high priority in Ripon.

At Tuesday’s Ripon City Council meeting, Public Works Director James Pease addressed this in regards to the drinking water standards established by the State of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The City of Ripon’s Well 19, which was constructed in 2022, was recently discovered to contain hexavalent chromium otherwise knowns as Chromium-6.

The drinking water locally is routinely tested and the results of those tests are monitored by the City and the State of California Division of Drinking Water in an effort to ensure the concentration of any regulated constituent present in the water does not exceed the allowable regulatory limit.

“California is the first state in the nation to set a drinking water standard for Chromium-6, which is found naturally in rocks, plants, humans, and animals,” Pease said.

He noted that the most common forms of chromium that occur in natural water are trivalent chromium (Chromium-3) and Chromium-6.

“Long-term exposure to elevated levels of Chromium-6 may pose health risks,” Pease added.

But thanks to routine water monitoring – in particular, Well 19 at the Mistlin Sports Park – the City of Ripon currently meets all applicable requirements and remains committed to full regulatory compliance through routine monitoring and sampling, he said to elected leaders.

“The City has been monitoring this condition for some time and is required to eliminate any exceedance by October 2027,” said Pease.

Meanwhile, residents are being directed to the City’s website (www.cityofripon.org/DocumentCenter/View/1622/Chromium-6-Public-Notification-Letter) as well as other websites (www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking) for concerns and additional information.

“Although recent test results exceed the new state standards for Chromium-6, there is no immediate health risk. Customers do not need to take any special precautions such as boiling water or limiting water use.

“The state’s new regulatory limit is based on potential health effects from long-term exposure, not short-term consumption,” Pease said.

The City of Ripon is actively working toward compliance with the new regulations.

A compliance plan along with implementation timeline are being developed and will be submitted to the State of California.

“This plan will outline the stops the City will take to achieve compliance with the Chromium-6 Maximum Contaminant Level prior to the October 2027 compliance deadline,” said Pease.