Frequently Asked Questions

To keep your plants healthy, it is best to avoid soap with the following ingredients:

• Alkylbenzene
• Borax
• Boron
• Chlorine or bleach
• Peroxygen
• Petroleum distillate
• Sodium perborate
• Sodium trypochlorite
• "Whiteners", "softeners" and "enzymatic" components

In general, liquid soaps are better than powder soaps. For more information about soaps, see the Harvesting Graywater website.

A good place to start is the Santa Cruz County Planning Department and search for greywater in their custom search tool. Look at the Permit Requirements (PDF) first. 

Professional help: You can also request a professional graywater consultation from a member of the Central Coast Graywater Alliance to help you design your system.

It is very difficult to separate taste from odor because these two human senses are so closely related. Most occurrences of a peculiar taste or odor in the water can be grouped into one of the following three categories: 

• Chlorinous, bleachy, chemical, and medicinal: A common cause for a chlorinous, bleachy, chemical, or medicinal taste or odor in the water: the small addition of chlorine to the water by the District to make sure that the water is clean and safe to drink.
• Sulfurous (rotten egg-like), decayed, and sewage-like: Two common causes of a sulfurous decayed, or sewage-like taste or odor in the water are bacteria growing in your drain or bacteria growing in your water heater.
• Musty, moldy, or earthy: A common cause of a musty, moldy, or earthy taste or odor in the water is bacteria growing in your drain.

Causes of tastes or odors in water must be carefully investigated. Please be prepared to answer the following questions when reporting this problem to us at 831-475-8500:

• What is the location of the premises where the taste or odor occurred?
• When was the taste or odor first detected?
• Is the taste or odor in the hot or cold water, or both?
• How would you describe the taste or odor?

The answers to these questions will assist us in finding the cause of the taste or odor and will also suggest corrective steps to take. A customer service representative should respond to calls regarding taste and odor within one business day.

Cloudy water could be a result of dissolved air in the water, which is a common and harmless condition. To verify this, place the cloudy water in a glass and observe whether it clears from the bottom up (you may be left with bubbles on the side of the glass and a small surface layer of bubbles). If this occurs then you have dissolved air in the water.

If the cloudy water persists, or if you are noticing unusual tastes or odors, please call 831-475-8500 and give us your address and a telephone number so we can have a customer service representative contact you.

There is naturally-occurring fluoride groundwater. In the Capitola-Soquel area, the average amount is 0.22 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and in the Aptos-Rio Del Mar-La Selva Beach area, the average amount is 0.13 mg/L.

The District does not add any additional fluoride to the water.

Some possible causes of problems with water which appears dirty, has an unusual color, or sediment/particles include:

• Sediments or pipe materials from breaks in water mains or hydrants. Water mains in the distribution system can fail due to age, corrosion, high pressure surges, or damage by construction work. Hydrants can also be broken off by vehicles.
• High flows can occur in water mains due to fire fighting, water system tests, or maintenance. Unusual high-flow conditions can stir up sediment or scale from water mains.
• Construction activities: the customer’s service connection from the distribution main to the water meter is sometimes disturbed by construction activities of contractors or other utilities.
• Aging galvanized plumbing: rust particles or scale from galvanized steel home plumbing can also produce reddish-brown water or rust particles, particularly noticeable when a tap is first turned on.

Reporting Problems

Since there are many causes of dirty water, the District investigates each complaint carefully. Please be prepared to answer the following questions when reporting this problem to 831-475-8500:

• What is the location of the premises where the dirty water occurred?
• When was the dirty water first detected?
• What does the water look like? Does it have color?
• Are both the cold and hot water dirty?
• Is the water dirty at all faucets?
• Are the particles large, small, or colored; does the water look milky or contain air?
• Have you had plumbing work done recently on either hot or cold water lines?

The answers to these questions will assist us in finding the cause of the dirty water and may also suggest corrective steps to take. District Customer Service Representatives respond to calls regarding water which appears to be dirty, colored or has foreign particles, within one business day.

TCP is exclusively a man-made chemical. The primary source of TCP in groundwater is past agricultural use of soil fumigants that contained TCP as an impurity.

TCP has not been detected in the District wells that currently supply drinking water.

 The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for TCP is 5 parts per trillion (ppt). Country Club Well has TCP levels above the MCL - with an average of 8.7 ppt, and a maximum of 15 ppt. As of July 2017, the District has ceased use of the Country Club Well, the sole Distirct well with detectable levels of TCP.

The most likely source of the TCP in Country Club Well was as a known impurity in the soil fumigants (nematicides) D-D and Telone. The immediate area around Country Club Well was agricultural in the 1950s and 1960s. We do not know how long the TCP has been in the groundwater.

The District has been testing for TCP since 1989. TCP was first detected in 2008 using an improved analytical method, capable of detecting very low levels.

The District’s water meets or exceeds all current drinking water testing requirements and regulations. The experts at the State Water Resources Control Board, Division Drinking Water (DDW) say that some people who drink water containing TCP over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer, based on studies of laboratory animals.

A new Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for 1,2,3-TCP of 5 ppt was established by DDW. The new standard takes effect in 2018.

The District is currently evaluating potential treatment options for the TCP in order to utilize this important drinking water supply source. If you have additional questions about TCP and your health, you should visit the DDW’s TCP page.

Lead in Drinking Water Regulations

Regulatory measures taken during the last two decades have greatly reduced human exposure to lead in drinking water.

• In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law requires the EPA to determine the level of contaminants in drinking water at which no adverse health effects are likely to occur with an adequate margin of safety.
• In 1991, the EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water. This regulation is known as the Lead and Copper Rule. The EPA revised the regulation in 2000 and 2007.
• Limits on the amount of lead that can be used in plumbing products have also been set. These requirements were first enacted federally in 1986 and then reduced to even lower levels by California in 2006.

Additional Resources

• County of Santa Cruz Public Health's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
  Phone: 831-763-8412 
  Visit: 1430 Freedom Blvd, Suite A, Watsonville, CA 95076
• Fact Sheet for lead in water by CDPH
• National Lead Information Center
  Phone: 800-424-LEAD

Lead is a naturally occurring metal that is harmful if inhaled or swallowed. Lead can be found in air, soil, dust, food, and water.

AWWA has created a new whiteboard explainer animation that helps consumers understand where lead comes from, how it gets into water, and what households can do to keep their water lead-safe. Please note that the District has not found any lead service lines from our water mains to the meters.

The most common source of lead exposure is from paint in homes and buildings built before 1978. Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust are the main sources of exposure for lead in U.S. children. Lead-based paints were banned for use in housing in 1978.

Although the main sources of exposure to lead are ingesting paint chips and inhaling dust, lead also can be found in some household plumbing materials and some water service lines. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 10 to 20% of human exposure to lead may come from lead in drinking water. Infants who consume mostly mixed formula can receive 40 to 60% of their exposure to lead from drinking water.

Lead can cause a variety of adverse health effects when people are exposed to it. These effects may include increases in the blood pressure of some adults; delays in normal physical and mental development in babies and young children; and, deficits in the attention span, hearing, and learning abilities of children.

Lead is uncommonly found naturally in source water. More commonly, lead leaches into water over time through corrosion-a dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and your plumbing. Lead can leach into water from pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets (brass) and fittings. Lead service lines and pipes have not been found to be used in construction in the District, so sources of lead in our drinking water are primarily limited to solder and fixtures. The amount of lead in your water depends on the types and amounts of minerals in the water, how long the water stays in the pipes, the water’s corrosivity, and water temperature.

The EPA has set an Action Level for lead at 15 micrograms per liter (or parts per billion). At least 90% of samples taken (the 90th percentile) must be less than 15 micrograms per liter. The Action Level for copper is 1.3 milligrams per liter (or parts per million).

In accordance with the Lead and Copper Rule, Soquel Creek Water District has been regularly testing the water at a selected number of higher-risk homes since 1993 and has never exceeded the Action Level. These homes were constructed using copper pipes with lead solder prior to the 1986 federal ban on lead solder. Our monitoring is conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements and guidance.

The 90th percentile results of the District’s most recent monitoring (2016) were well below the Action Levels. The 90th percentile lead was not detected at or above the State detection level (5 micrograms per liter). The 90th percentile copper concentration was 0.37 milligrams per liter. A total of 31 homes were tested. Lead was detected above the State detection level in only one of the 31 samples (at 7.9 micrograms per liter), and none of the copper concentrations from the 31 homes were above the Action Level.

If the Action Level is exceeded, water utilities are required to notify all of its customers and provide instructions on what to do to limit lead exposure as required by the EPA. In addition, the EPA requires water systems to control the corrosiveness of their water if the level of lead at home taps exceeds the Action Level.

Helpful Resources

For more information, the American Water Works Association has created a video on how water utilities look for lead and copper in the water supply.

If you’re concerned your home plumbing may contain lead in its pipes or fittings, you may want to have your water tested by a state-certified laboratory. Testing is the only way to confirm if lead is present or absent. For more information on testing your water, contact a drinking water laboratory. Here are three in our area:

• Soil Control Lab, Watsonville, 831-724-5422
• Monterey Bay Analytical Services, Monterey, 831-375-MBAS (6227)
• Bolsa Analytical Lab, Hollister, 831-637-4590

For more information, please visit the California Division of Drinking Water’s Lead Sampling in Drinking Water for Individual Homeowners webpage.

There are many steps you can take to reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water:

• Run your water to flush out lead. If it hasn’t been used for several hours, run the water for three to five minutes to clear most of the lead from the water. To conserve water, remember to catch the flushed tap water for plants, cleaning or flushing toilets.
• Always use cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula. Never cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Never use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
• Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
• Periodically remove and clean the faucet screen/aerator. While removed, run the water to eliminate debris.
• You may consider investing in a point-of-use home water treatment device. When purchasing a water treatment device, make sure it is certified under NSF/ANSI 53 to remove lead. You can check to see if the device is registered for sale in California.
• Identify and replace plumbing fixtures containing lead. Brass faucets, fittings and valves may leach lead into drinking water. Products sold in California after 2010 must by law contain very low levels of lead.
• Have a licensed electrician check your wiring. Your home electrical system may be attached to your service line or elsewhere in your plumbing. If this connection is electrified, it can accelerate corrosion. Check with a licensed electrician to correct ground faults and evaluate your local electric code to determine if your wiring can be grounded elsewhere. Do not attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper bonding or grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.

Children at risk of exposure to lead should be tested. Your doctor can perform a simple blood test to determine your child’s blood-lead level.

Read the information about District’s annual consumer confidence/water quality report.

As a result of a permit action by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water, school administrators may request that their public water system collect and analyze up to five water samples at each Kindergarten through 12 school served by the water system. The public water system and/or the State Water Resources Control Board can also provide technical assistance if an elevated lead sample site is found. Schools can only request through October 2019 for a one-time sampling.

The white film is the residue of hardness and other minerals in the water. When the water is heated or evaporates, the minerals leave a white coating on items such as showerheads, shower doors, glasses, coffee pots, etc.

Although harmless, most people don’t appreciate a white film on these household items. Many customers install a water softener unit. In terms of cleaning hard water spots, there are several cleaning products on the market made specifically for its removal. A "green" alternative is warm vinegar. Soaking in vinegar can help dissolve the spots. Make sure you rinse the items carefully after the vinegar "bath" before using them. This method is less practical for shower doors. In the case of shower doors, prevention is the best medicine. Wipe down the doors with a sponge or towel after every shower.

The District pumps groundwater from several different sources (wells) positioned throughout the District’s service area. Not all wells are actively pumping at the same time, and since each well has its own baseline hardness value, each service area has a range of hardness values, listed below (based on 2017 water hardness data).

• In the District’s western-most areas of Capitola/Soquel - from about 41st Avenue to Park Avenue - the range of water hardness is about 150 to 370 parts per million (ppm), or 9 to 22 grains per gallon (gpg).
• In the Soquel/Aptos areas of the District - from about Park Avenue to State Park Drive - the range of water hardness is about 140 to 300 ppm, or 8 to 17.5 gpg.
• In Aptos/Rio del March areas of the District - from about State Park Drive to March Monte Avenue - the range of water hardness is about 150 to 200 ppm, or 9 to 12 gpg.
• In the La Selva Beach area - from about March Monte Avenue to Sand Dollar Drive - the range of water hardness is about 100 to 200 ppm, or 6 to 12 gpg.

It is advisable to program the dishwasher beginning at the lower end of the designated range and then adjust upward as necessary.

Hard water is simply water that contains two harmless minerals — calcium and magnesium. Water is considered "hard" if it measures more than 120 parts per million or 7.0 grains per gallon.

Although hardness does not affect the safety of the water, some customers may find it to be inconvenient. The minerals may make the water hard to develop a sudsy lather. Hardness minerals may also contribute to scaling in teapots, spots on dishes and residues on plumbing fixtures and glass shower doors.

To find out the most recent hardness number, read the District’s annual consumer confidence/water quality report. 

No, the project is not a wastewater treatment project. It is a groundwater replenishment and seawater intrusion prevention project that will create recycled water at the Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility and then it will purify it at an advanced water purification facility at Chanticleer/Soquel Avenue. This is not a wastewater facility. The technology used at the purification facility will use reverse osmosis and UV-light and then the purified water will be piped to seawater intrusion prevention wells that have been strategically located in Capitola and Aptos to create a barrier underground so that seawater contamination doesn’t move further inland and contaminate drinking water wells.

Yes, using purified water for drinking is not new in the U.S. and has been in use for more than 40 years since the 1970s. Many other communities such as Monterey, San Diego, Pismo Beach, and Santa Clara in California, as well as Singapore, Australia, Texas, Virginia, and Colorado, are currently operating or evaluating this type of project - with many more in various stages of consideration or development. Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment Project has produced over 200 billion gallons of purified water to recharge its groundwater basin. Disneyland theme park proudly promotes its participation in this type of water recycling and purification program, boasting that, "…almost all the water used at the Resort is recycled in this manner."

Yes. The State of California, which regulates the treatment of groundwater and surface water, is also responsible for regulating the production of purified water. Regulations ensure water purveyors meet state and federal water quality standards, making certain the water is safe. This also includes testing and strict water quality requirements for removing constituents of emerging concern such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The National Water Research Institute (PDF) commissioned a third-party, technical panel to evaluate and review the District’s Pure Water Soquel Project and they concluded that the project was "plausible, feasible and protective of public health". Water quality sampling confirms purified water that undergoes this level of treatment has a much higher level of water quality than treated groundwater or surface water.

The groundwater basin on which we all depend on drinking water is shared by Soquel Creek Water District (SqCWD), City of Santa Cruz, Central Water District, and private wells. Representatives of each of these entities comprise the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency (MGA - see more information at www.midcountygroundwater.org). The State of California has officially designated this basin as critically overdrafted, and the MGA is responsible for bringing the basin into sustainability by 2040.

There are several municipal drinking water wells in the Live Oak community, which are operated and maintained by the City of Santa Cruz. As shown in the map below, Live Oak is part of the MGA basin area. These wells rely on that already-overdrafted groundwater basin to provide water for the people of Live Oak and the greater community. This water supply is at great risk, with seawater contamination detected in the groundwater aquifers near the well-field in the Live Oak/Pleasure Point area (in fact, seawater intrusion is occurring throughout the coastline from the Harbor to Pleasure Point/Live Oak to Aptos/La Selva Beach). From Pleasure Point to Aptos-Seascape-La Selva Beach area, the groundwater pumping can be optimized to redistribute pumping away from the coast and more inland. This redistribution, along with putting purified water into the ground through the seawater intrusion barrier wells, will raise protective groundwater levels.

Everyone living within the MGA area is affected by the groundwater overdraft and seawater intrusion problem. The Project is being developed as a means of replenishing the overdrafted groundwater aquifer, providing a barrier to seawater intrusion, and thereby protecting and sustaining the water supply for all within the MGA area.

The advanced water purification facility was built in the empty lot at Chanticleer Avenue (PDF) and Soquel Avenue, based upon the following factors:

• The water purification facility is a good fit with the site’s general surroundings, and with the commercial/mixed-use facilities in the vicinity. The site, zoned M-1 (light industrial), has been vacant for the last 20 or more years. 
• The water purification facility can be co-located with the proposed bike-pedestrian crossing also on the same site. That location is currently identified by the Regional Transportation Commission for a bike/pedestrian bridge crossing over Highway 1. That overcrossing as proposed would need frontage road access on Soquel Avenue, which makes the site less viable for commercial uses (but this is not an issue for the water purification facility). A municipal water project and a transportation project at the site are compatible, both could fit on/adjacent to the site together, and both provide significant community benefits - these two uses are a good fit with the site, and with each other).
• The water purification facility at Chanticleer is centrally located and has the potential for expansion if the City of Santa Cruz is interested in the future. The City of Santa Cruz is also considering recycled water as part of its water portfolio, to address its water shortage issues. 
• The water purification facility at Chanticleer will be a showcase for Santa Cruz County.  Located right off the freeway, tourists and residents can be proud that our region is recycling 25% of the water that is discharged out into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and instead of being put to beneficial reuse to prevent further seawater contamination and ensuring water sustainability of water, one of our precious natural resources. As stated above, the facility will be taking tertiary treated water - absolutely no raw sewage will be involved - as its source water and purifying it through reverse osmosis, and UV disinfection. This treatment process is well-proven (Orange County Water District has been operating a similar facility since the 1970s) and when operational, will not generate excessive noise, odor, or traffic. In fact, per the Project’s Environmental Impact Report, there will be no significant environmental impacts during facility operations.

It’s a notification that advises residents to boil their tap water used for consumption (drinking, cooking, making ice, etc.), because their water may be contaminated. A Boil Water Notice is in effect until laboratory results show that water is safe from bacterial contamination. The tests usually take 24 hours to complete. Bathing, washing clothes or dishes and other activities where water is used externally, should not pose a health risk.

Because delivering clean water is our business, Soquel Creek Water District adheres to stringent water quality testing and monitoring requirements to ensure that every drop of water delivered to your home or business meets or exceeds state and federal health and safety standards. We back our commitment to maintaining high water quality standards by dedicating the necessary human and technological resources to quality assurance programs.

Contamination

Sometimes, however, there is a possibility that your water has become susceptible to contamination. The occurrences listed may increase the risk of contaminants entering the drinking water treatment and distribution system:

• A water system completely loses water pressure or the pressure goes below 20 pounds per square inch (psi)
• A pipeline breaks
• A distribution system interruption takes place (whether planned or as a result or man-made or natural disasters, such as hurricanes)
• Water samples indicate the presence of waterborne pathogens
• A cross-connection is discovered that may have contaminated the water supply
• Increased run-off enters the drinking water source (e.g. following heavy rains)

When we issue a Boil Water Notice, testing has generally not yet been conducted to confirm or deny the presence of contamination in your water. Sometimes, the chances of water contamination are remote, but we don’t want to take any chances with your family’s health. Soquel Creek Water District takes the protection of public health very seriously. In most cases, issuing a Boil Water Notice is a precautionary measure for the safety of our customers.

Do not consume your water without boiling it first. Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.

To ensure the destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes that might be present, a boil water notice will advise you to boil water used for drinking, cooking, and ice making. Bring water to a vigorous, rolling boil and then boil for two minutes (don’t forget to cool the water before consuming it). In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), boiling is considered the most effective and the safest method of water disinfection. You may find that boiled water tastes rather flat. To get rid of the blandness, aerate it by pouring it back and forth from one container to another and allow it to stand for a few hours, or add a pinch of salt for each quart or liter of water boiled.

We are required to collect samples from the water source (e.g. a well), the original site where contamination may have been found, as well as upstream and downstream of that point, and get them tested for any continuing contamination before we can declare the water clean. Only after satisfactory lab results and, under certain circumstances, approval from the state’s regulatory agency, can we then lift a Boil Water Notice.

Water utilities are required to notify you by newspaper, radio, TV, hand-delivery, or any combination of those methods. If your water doesn’t meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or state standards or if there is a waterborne disease emergency. We’ll use the same method to notify you that your Boil Water Notice was rescinded.

During a Public Safety Power Shutoff, it is very important for you to conserve water, even if your house has power. A power outage will activate a short-term Stage 5 Critical Water Shortage Emergency. Stage 5 Measures for customers include the following:

• No outdoor irrigation
• No water for recreational purposes
• No draining or refilling of existing or new pools or hot tubs
• No water use for aesthetic purposes (ornamental fountains, ponds) except to support aquatic life
• No vehicle washing
• No exterior washing of structures
• Pools/hot tubs must be covered when not in use

We are working with PG&E to ensure we receive as much advance notice as possible so we can prepare and initiate our response. When a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Warning is issued, our operators will top off our tanks and ensure that our generators also have fuel as notice allows. We are managing vegetation around our facilities as feasible to reduce fire risk. We will notify customers when PG&E notifies us of a potential power shutoff.

Before a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event making sure:

• Clear property of excess, dead, and highly flammable vegetation. Trim grass and vegetation at least 30 feet around your home.
• Identify your unique/critical water needs and plan ahead.
• If you have a backup generator, test it and ensure it’s ready to operate safely.
• Store a minimum of two gallons of water per person per day, enough to last three to seven days, and don’t forget your pets. The more water you can store, the better.
• Your contact information is updated with Soquel Creek Water District and your local energy company.

During a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event:

• Reduce indoor water use.
• Shut off irrigation.
• Stay tuned; there will be ongoing updates available through social media, news media and on Soquel Creek Water District’s website. Minimize water use during an event to leave as much water in the reservoirs as possible for firefighting.

After a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS):

• Prepare for the next PSPS event
• Reset your irrigation controller while resetting other electronics to prevent overwatering
• Restock your water supplies

We offer our customers free water-saving faucet aerators, hose nozzles, toilet leak detection tablets, shower timers and toilet flappers. Just stop on by to the District’s main office during business hours (8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday) at 5180 Soquel Drive in Soquel.

The Online Bill Pay Program allows you to use the internet to access, view, and pay your water bill with your Visa, MasterCard or electronic check 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from wherever you have internet access.

No, there is no transaction fee to use the Online Bill Pay Program. However, your financial institution may have a charge.

Online payments made through our website post to your billing account immediately.

If you have received a 48-hour notice of discontinuance, the online payment must be made prior to 5 pm on the date indicated on the notice to avoid additional delinquent fees.

The information provided through the Online Bill Pay Program is not as comprehensive as the tiered billing and 3-year consumption history available on your paper billing statement. For this reason, you will continue to receive your billing statement by mail.

Yes, payments can be made online using Visa, Mastercard, or an electronic check.

You may still make your payments by mail, phone or in person while enrolled in the Online Bill Pay Program. You may cancel your enrollment in the Bill Pay Program at any time.

You may reset either or both at any time. For security reasons passwords are not disclosed to District personnel, so you will be sent a new password at the email address you designated during enrollment in the Bill Pay Program.

Your personal data is protected through network and database security using industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt information to and from the site and other firewall and intrusion protection.

Many people are surprised when they see their water use in gallons per day. On average, Soquel Creek Water District customers use about 50 gallons per person, per day. If your meter detects 24 hours of continuous water use, we will notify you to check for leaks. Outdoor irrigation has a large impact on your water use, as well as your household’s fixtures, appliances and water use habits. To help you understand how your household is using its water, we recommend signing up for the WaterSmart customer portal. 

Many of our customers are working hard to do their part and protect our community’s water supply by using water efficiently. We thank you for your efforts and the difference they make while we continue actively searching for new sources of water. Read your monthly water bill and know how many gallons, on average, your household uses daily. If you’re already using 50 gallons per person per day or less, you’re doing great!

Tips

• Check your water usage in the WaterSmart customer portal. Using the portal you can see how much water you use from routine uses like laundry and irrigation systems. Sometimes it is a lot more than you think!
• You may get some inspiring ideas from your friends and neighbors who have generously shared the many creative ways they have made water conservation a daily way of life.
• Also, be sure you are aware of and following the year-round water use that is always in effect and enforced through our water waste ordinance.

Thank you for saving water!

Most people aren’t wasting water on purpose, and they simply don’t know the rules. By reporting water waste, you’re helping Soquel Creek Water District educate your neighbors and the community about what is and what isn’t allowed in a friendly and non-threatening way.

Please report water waste incidents in the following ways:

• Email us
• Phone: 831-475-8500
• Mail or hand delivery:
  5180 Soquel Drive
  Soquel, CA 95073

Please include the following if possible:

• Location (address and detailed description)
• Date and time of day
• Brief description of the problem/type of water waste
• Photo of the waste or leak occurring, if possible

All water waste reports are confidential. We will investigate all non-emergency water waste reports as soon as possible during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 pm).

We are a local public agency, specifically a California Special District. We get all of our funding through water rates and some grant funding.

Visit our online transparency center for details on our financing and budget.

Take a look at a list of current projects open for bids.

Visit our construction page to determine if the project you are working on requires a new water meter, and what you’ll need to do to receive one.

We post all job openings on our website.

The Soquel Creek Water District (District) is a public, not-for-profit agency that is funded in large part by the water rates customers pay. Payment for water service ensures the District’s ability to deliver high-quality, reliable water in a manner that values our environment and community, and sustains the resources entrusted to our care. The District is committed to good governance, fiscal accountability, and transparency, with systems and policies in place to earn the trust of our customers.   

Water rates are an investment in the water District today to secure our water future. Revenues derived from water rates ensure the continuity of operations and reliable delivery of water to the community we serve. As an example, water rates pay for: 

• Pumping and treatment of local groundwater 
• Maintain, repair, and replacement of  critical infrastructure, such as pipes, pumps, groundwater wells, monitoring wells, storage tanks, seawater intrusion wells, and the Pure Water Soquel advanced water purification treatment center 
• Maintaining 168.5+ miles of water pipelines to ensure water delivery to homes, businesses, schools, parks, etc  
• Water for fire protection 
• Hiring and retaining highly skilled, qualified, and licensed staff to operate the water system and provide respective and responsive customer service. 

No. By law, we cannot charge customers more than what it costs to provide the service. As a public agency, our system is owned by our customers and governed by the District Board of Directors; we do not have shareholders or pay dividends like private companies. 

Rate studies are conducted as an industry best practice to ensure that a utility’s financial health is maintained and that the District is setting a course toward meeting future financial obligations. The industry standard is to perform comprehensive rate studies every three to five years; our last study was in 2018 with new rates adopted in early 2019.   

Since the last rate study, the costs to operate and manage the water system and ensure environmental protection of our groundwater supply, have increased. The water industry is experiencing the same global impacts of inflation. The District is self-funded, so revenues must equal expenditures. Water rates must cover the cost of service and maintain prudent reserves in case of seawater intrusion or an emergency, such as an earthquake or wildfire, that could damage major critical infrastructure.  With water rate adjustments, the District is able to sustain the annual level of capital reinvestment needed to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure and provide financially and operationally sustainable water service. 

The most recent District water rates study was completed in 2018 and implemented in 2019. Ideally, rate studies should be performed every 3-5 years. Regular rate studies are critical to the healthy operation of District operations. Utility systems must keep up with rising costs, annual inflation rate,  and be able to implement critical capital projects that are mandated or necessary for the health and safety of our customers.  

Performed regularly, water rate studies provide transparency into what the District can expect in the years ahead and ensure we have the financial resources to meet our budget, maintain our infrastructure, prevent seawater intrusion, safeguard the groundwater basin against overdraft and towards sustainability, keep pace with new technologies, address existing and new state and federal regulations, be adequate for planned growth by the County of Santa Cruz and the City of Capitola, implement our Capital Improvement Program (CIP), and operate our water system so that water can be delivered 24 hours/day; 7 days a week.

Other elements of rate studies include the development of a reserve policy that considers the different types of risks we face and ensures revenue stability while maintaining affordability. 

The District hired Raftelis Inc., a consulting firm with expertise in water rate studies in California and across the country. Their scope of work includes developing long-range financial plans for water service and assisting with the California Proposition 218 process and Public Hearing for rate adoption. The rate study consists of a series of steps involving data evaluation, performing technical analyses, deriving customer rates, and understanding customer impacts of any modifications. Once a rate proposal is determined, the complete study is documented in a Study Report to serve as part of the District’s administrative record. 

In California, all parcels connected to a utility system must be given notice of any rate changes with the ability to protest the proposed rates. The notice details the proposed rates, the basis for calculating the proposed rates, the reason for the proposed rate increase, details of the public hearing, and ratepayers’ or property owners’ right to protest. After a protest period of no less than 45 days, the District Board of Directors can conduct a Public Hearing. Absent a majority protest to the rate proposal, the District Board may choose to adopt the rates as noticed. 

2023–24 Rate Study Schedule: The anticipated schedule to complete the rate study and consider new rates in a Public Hearing is mid-February 2024, for proposed implementation on March 1, 2024. A presentation and public comments are scheduled to be heard at the Board of Directors meeting on December 19, 2023.  We encourage the community to stay informed about the water rate study through the District’s website at www.soquelcreekwater.org/ratestudy. To submit questions or comments, send an email to ratestudy@soquelcreekwater.org  or call (831) 475-8500 and ask for Leslie Strohm. 

Proposed rates are determined following evaluation and analysis of cost escalations related to operation and maintenance, water treatment, capital projects’ costs, general inflation, and material cost increases due to supply chain shortages. California’s Proposition 218 requires local utilities, special districts, and municipalities to follow certain procedures when proposing a rate adjustment to services. A property owner has an opportunity to protest the proposed rate increases if they feel they are unwarranted.  

Under Proposition 218, ratepayers will receive a public notice detailing the proposed rate adjustment, petition process, and the time, date, and location of the Board of Directors Public Hearing. Customers have 45 days to petition rate adjustments through a written process. In the Public Hearing, the District Board will review customer petitions and consider approving or denying rate adjustments. Each parcel is allowed one protest. Should the District receive a majority (50% +1) protest from water customers, rate adjustments will not be implemented.

Establishing new rates is a collaborative effort with input from District staff, financial experts, community members, and the District Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has the final say and vote to approve rate changes.  

The District’s objective is to have 40% of projected annual operating costs maintained in reserves to ensure continuity in the event of business disruption. Adequate reserves are necessary to address unforeseen conditions such as emergency repairs, drought, and seawater intrusion. Rate revenues must cover these reserves. Water utility reserves are not used to fund other District expenditures.  The District sets aside less money in reserves than most agencies its size in an attempt to keep rates as low as possible. 

The water rate study will include projected expenses and forecasted cost increases over the next five-to-10-year period. If there is additional revenue or expenses the fund will either be slightly in the positive or slightly in the negative, with the objective of a healthy fund to balance revenues with expenses over multiple years. The purpose of a five-year rate study is to reconcile differences in projected expenses and revenues and factor actual expenses and surpluses or deficits into the projected revenue needs for the next five years. 

All drinking water provided by the District is from the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin, which is shared with other pumpers (municipal and private wells) and is our sole source of drinking water.  This Basin is critically overdrafted, meaning more water is collectively pumped out of the basin than can naturally be replenished through rainfall. This has resulted in seawater moving inland and contaminating our only water supply. 

The District has made and will continue to make investments in the water system to protect drinking water supplies and ensure the delivery of safe and reliable drinking water supply for generations to come. In order to ensure future success, we must be prepared to continue investing in our water system, meet state and federal regulatory standards, obtain the necessary infrastructure and permits, and address the challenges from climate change and rising costs that many water systems in the United States are facing.  

The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) lays out short- and long-term infrastructure projects needed to continue delivering high-quality water to our community. One of the most recent critical CIP projects is Pure Water Soquel, which provides a sustainable, drought-proof supply of water that is available year-round to supplement our overdrafted groundwater supply and helps prevent seawater intrusion from moving farther inland and contaminating drinking water wells. Learn more about Pure Water Soquel.

There are two reasons why you would receive an alert. The first is the water meter has recorded non-stop, water usage of at least 3 gallons per hour every hour over a 24 hour period. The second is that your water meter recorded at least 75 gallons per hour every hour over a monitored 8-hour period.

To review your hourly, daily, and monthly usage, register for WaterSmart and click the “Track” menu heading. 

Not necessarily. Our system may rarely flag legitimate use as a leak and sometimes your continuous usage may have already stopped without your intervention (e.g., a gardener or another member of the household turns off a hose, or a leaky toilet flapper falls back into place, etc.). If you receive a continuous use alert, please check your water meter to see if the continuous usage is still occurring and check the most common sources (e.g., outdoor hoses, toilets, and irrigation systems) before hiring a professional to locate a leak. 

To review your hourly, daily, and monthly, usage, register for WaterSmart and click the “Track” menu heading. 

The property owner is responsible for all plumbing located immediately after the service line connection at the water meter. The water meter and its fittings are the responsibility of the District.  

If you see water in your meter box, please contact the District before calling a plumber or irrigation expert so that a Staff member may assess if the leak is the responsibility of the District.

To get email alerts about continuous water use, make sure your contact information with us is up to date. Call us at (831)475-8500. To sign up for text or voice alerts, register for WaterSmart and update your settings. Note that you can also set customized alerts for water use or bill amounts over a designated threshold, as well as for unplanned water use.

No. Leak detection and repair is the responsibility of the customer however we are available for questions.  However, if you need water service shut off at the meter to make repairs, please contact us at (831) 475-8500 for service.

No. Staff can assist customers with basic questions, like when your leak started, and give some ideas of where to look, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of the customer to locate and repair the leak. 

If you receive an alert and/or suspect you have a leak but cannot locate or repair it, please contact a plumber or leak expert for assistance. Here are two leak experts in our area:

• http://www.starkleak.com/
• https://www.americanleakdetection.com/san-jose/

There are two easy ways. 

1. Take a look at your water meter. Click here to learn how to read your meter and see if it is registering a leak. 

2. Register for WaterSmart and look at your water usage. (Note that a change may take up to a day to be reflected in your WaterSmart usage)

Our leak adjustment form is located on our website and is also available as a form on the WaterSmart portal. You can fill out a form either way to reach our billing department.

To avoid sending too many alerts and notifying customers about situations that might not be leaks, we send courtesy alerts to single family properties after 8 hours of nonstop water use that is 75  gallons or more an hour or after 24 hours days of nonstop water use that is over 3 gallons an hour. While some leaks may generate nonstop usage, others may be intermittent. For example, toilets, irrigation valves and water softeners can leak on an intermittent basis at varying flow rates, and never reach the 24 hours of constant use threshold. 

Another reason for not receiving a courtesy alert from the District is your contact information in our billing system is incorrect and needs to be updated. To check or update your contact information, please contact customer service during regular business hours at (831)475-8500. 

The automated continuous use alert feature is only   available to single family accounts[SF1] . Multifamily residential, business and institutional account holders can register for WaterSmart to view and track their usage and set custom high use alerts which may assist in detecting leaks.

Soquel Creek Water District has partnered with WaterSmart Software to offer our customers a modern digital portal where you can access detailed information about your household or business water use. WaterSmart’s online customer portal allows you to: 

• Track your water use 
• Pay your bill
• Set alerts for possible leaks or unusual usage
• Provide you with personalized tips on saving water
• Set communications preferences

To register, simply go to this link (https://soquelcreekwd.watersmart.com/index.php/welcome) and enter in your Account Number (exactly as it is shown on your bill or WaterSmart welcome letter) and your zip code. 

Once you are registered, you can create a portal username and password based on an email of your choice.

The Customer Portal is a resource to help you better understand and manage your water use. It provides you with a social comparison, helps you track your use, and offers personalized recommendations for the most effective ways to save water. For instance, if your outdoor use is high, you will see recommendations related to irrigation practices.

Soquel Creek Water District customers can customize their Customer Portal profile though the Household Profile. You can find the Household Profile in the drop-down menu under your name in the right-hand corner. The Household Profile has specific questions about your household. Completing the Household Profile will improve the relevancy and accuracy of the social comparisons and recommendations you see in the Portal. Profile questions include: 

• How many people live there?
• How many toilets are in the household?
• How big is your yard?

You are being compared to households in the District with similar attributes, such as number of occupants and irrigable area. A five-person family living in a house with a large landscaped yard will be compared to other households with the same number of people and similar yard size, since they will likely use a similar amount of water.

There may be a few reasons: 

• If you are viewing on a mobile device you will be unable to see hourly data.
• Occasionally there will be a disruption in your water data. These gaps happen when your water usage information transmitted from your i-meter is not received by the District’s fixed network infrastructure to be sent to WaterSmart. This may be due to hilly terrain, a temporary issue with the District’s i-meter system or due to periodic obstructions, like a car parked over the meter. If the reception has been spotty for your service, you may be unable to see your hourly or daily usage. Once reception quality improves, access to hourly and daily usage will be restored. (Please note that this does not affect your water usage for billing. The meter will continue to record accurate water reads during this data interruption and will transmit that data when it is next able to.)

A number of activities can lead to an increase or decrease in water usage over a period of time. Increases can possibly stem from guests in town, filling up a hot tub or pool, leaks inside or outside the home, or turning on the irrigation system during the dry season. Decreases in water usage could potentially result from installing high-efficiency appliances, reducing irrigation schedules, fixing leaks, or members of your household moving out. For your own information, check out the list below of various activities that consume approximately 100 gallons of water. 

• 78 high-efficiency toilet flushes
• 10 five-minute showers 
• 5 loads of laundry with high-efficiency machine 
• 8 minutes running one sprinkler zone 
• 10 hours of drip irrigation (0.5 gph, 20 emitters) 
• 2 days of evaporation from an uncovered pool

WaterSmart does not provide real time data. Usage information on WaterSmart is approximately 12 hours old due to the data transfer schedule between our meter vendor and WaterSmart software. To get real time information, learn how to read your water meter.

In 2024, California tightened its standards on acceptable levels of chrome-6 (hexavalent chromium or chromium 6) in potable water to 10 parts per billion (ppb). 

Because Soquel Creek Water District exceeded the new MCL in three wells in the seascape area, we were required to send out the notice to all customers. The State of California is requiring municipalities, businesses, and schools to notify consumers about the updated standards and the agency's level of compliance with them. 

Chrome-6 (also called hexavalent chromium or chromium 6) is a form of the element chromium that occurs naturally in the environment. It is found in certain rocks and soils and can enter groundwater as these materials break down. 

Chromium is a naturally occurring metallic element found in rocks, soil, plants, volcanic dust, and even animals. In our area, chromium is present in the rocks and sediments of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin, especially in the Aromas Red Sands aquifer. 

In our groundwater basin, rocks and sediments break down over time containing chromium-3, causing it to be naturally converted to chrome-6, which then seeps into groundwater supplies like ours. 

Chromium-3 (trivalent chromium) is a nutrient that the body needs in very small amounts to help with things like processing sugar and fat. Chrome-6 occurs naturally in the environment from the erosion of natural chromium deposits. It can also be produced by industrial processes. Together, Chromium 3 and Chrome-6 make up Total Chromium. 

The USEPA sets enforceable drinking water standards based on science to protect health. States must adopt these standards, but may also set stricter ones. 

Total chromium (which includes both chromium-3 and chrome-6):

• Federal standard for Total Chromium is 100 parts per billion (ppb).
• California standard for Total Chromium is 50 ppb

For Chromium 6

• There is no federal standard.
• California is the only place in the world that has a specific Chrome-6 standard of 10 ppb.

  
  

In 2014, the state set a chrome-6 MCL of 10 ppb, but it was invalidated in 2017 due to economic analysis issues. On April 17, 2024, California re-adopted a chrome-6 MCL of 10 ppb, effective October 1, 2024. Water systems have up to three years to comply. Details and documentation of the recent rulemaking process are on the State Water Board Hexavalent Chromium webpage. 

The District is still providing the same great, high-quality water we have been serving for over 60 years; the only thing changing is the State’s regulations. Most of the wells in our service area have levels below the new regulation. However, three wells have shown levels exceeding the new MCL.  

The District has been proactive in preparation for the new MCL. We are working with SWRCB to address the exceedance and comply with the MCL. We have completed the Environmental review and a pilot test using Reduction Coagulation Filtration (RCF) technology to remove chrome-6. Our compliance plan was approved by the State, and a design for a new treatment plant is currently underway to remove chrome-6 from the three affected wells.  

Yes. Tap water remains safe to drink, cook with, and use for all daily needs. Chrome-6 regulations address long-term exposure risks, not immediate health threats. The District continues to meet all other state and federal drinking water standards, which are among the strictest in the world. 

The average level in three of our wells is 3.2 parts per billion (ppb) and ranges from undectecable to 17 ppb. The new standard is 10 ppb.  

What is an MCL?
The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is the maximum concentration of a chemical allowed in public drinking water systems. It is established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the California State Water Resources Board (State Board).  

How much is a part per billion? 

A part per billion is equal to one drop in 660,000 gallons, the size of an Olympic-sized swimming pool

There is no immediate health threat, even in areas with levels of chrome-6 above 10 parts per billion. It is still safe to drink, cook with and use your tap water. The state regulates chrome-6 to reduce potential long-term risks. Some people who drink water containing chrome-6 above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) over many years may have an increased risk of cancer.  At an MCL of 10 ppb, the health risk from hexavalent chromium in drinking water is limited to a one-in-two-thousand chance of developing cancer during a lifetime (70 years) of exposure.*

California is the only state to regulate specifically chrome-6.

*State Water Board FAQ

Yes, it’s the same type of chemical—hexavalent chromium (chrome-6). However, the source and concentration are very different. In the Erin Brockovich case in Hinkley, California, chrome-6 came from industrial pollution—a power company discharged chemical waste directly into unlined ponds, contaminating groundwater.

The difference in levels of the chrome-6 is enormous.  The chrome-6 in Hinkley reaches levels of over 1,000 ppb.* The highest MCL we detected in our three wells that are over the 10 ppb is 17 ppb. 

*https://hinkleygroundwater.com/ has the Cleanup and Abatement Order No. R6V-2015-0068, issued by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. That document includes hexavalent chromium concentrations as high as approximately 3,600 ppb in at least one monitoring well.

Naturally occurring arsenic is a metallic mineral that is found in the Earth's crust. It is commonly found in groundwater. The United States Geologic Survey estimates that almost half of groundwater in the U.S. contains naturally occurring arsenic greater than 1 part per billion (ppb), with about 10% exceeding 10 ppb.

In January 2006, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reduced the federal Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water from 50 ppb to 10 ppb. In November 2008, California followed suit, revising its State MCL to 10 ppb. More information from the California Division of Drinking Water about arsenic in drinking water can be found here.

The District's drinking water sources include 16 active, two standby, and two inactive groundwater production wells. Only two of these wells have had historical arsenic above California's Detection Limit for Purposes of Reporting (DLR), which is set at 2.0 ppb, and none of the District's wells contain arsenic at or above the MCL. In fact, all arsenic levels are one-half or less than the MCL. Even though the arsenic levels are well below the drinking water standard, in 2003, the District began an investigation to treat (reduce) the detectable levels of arsenic. Treatment began in 2006 at one plant and at a second plant in 2007.

The District operates two treatment plants that reduce the amount of arsenic that is delivered to customers. The treatment plant technology is based on oxidation with sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) and ferric chloride to enhance the ability of arsenic to be filtered out through the filter media (anthracite and sand).

Iron and manganese are metals that occur naturally in soils, rocks, and minerals. In the aquifer, when groundwater comes into contact with these solid materials it begins to dissolve them. This releases their constituents, including iron and manganese, into the water.

In California, the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water sets Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), also known as "Consumer Acceptance Contaminant Levels" for those constituents in water that may adversely affect the aesthetic qualities of drinking water, such as taste and odor. The following table is excerpted from Division 4, Chapter 15, Article 16, Section 64449 of the California Code of Regulations, Title 22

Iron and Manganese can be problematic at levels above Secondary MCLs because they both impart color to the water, which can in turn stain plumbing fixtures with rusty, reddish-brown deposits. In addition, Manganese at very high levels can pose a neurotoxic risk. Additional information about Manganese in drinking water can be found online.

Yes. The District operates nine treatment plants to reduce the amount of Iron and Manganese delivered to customers. The treatment plant technology is based on oxidation with sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) followed by filtration through filter media containing anthracite and sand, pyrolusite, or greensand.

The District's Iron and Manganese treatment plants successfully achieve roughly 95 to 99% removal of the iron and manganese content of the raw groundwater. The color value of water entering the distribution system is considered Not Detectable (ND).