Congresswoman Waters Demands Update from CalEPA on Water Quality Issues Facing Residents in the City of Gardena

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, sent a letter yesterday to Mr. Matthew Rodriquez, Secretary for Environmental Protection at the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), expressing concerns about water quality issues in the City of Gardena and requesting a written update on these issues on CalEPA letterhead within the next 30 days. The letter follows up on information provided to Congresswoman Waters by Secretary Rodriquez in an email dated March 9, 2016, in response to water quality concerns she had raised previously. The text of the letter follows:

“Dear Secretary Rodriquez:

“Thank you for your email dated March 9, 2016, in response to my concerns about water quality issues in the City of Gardena (a copy of which is attached). I appreciate the information you provided regarding the background and history of water quality problems in Gardena and the ongoing efforts by Golden State Water Company (GSWC) and the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) to address these problems. I write to request a dated, written update on these issues on CalEPA letterhead.

“Individuals and families in the City of Gardena, as well as other communities served by GSWC, have a right to clean water to drink, cook and bathe. Indeed, everyone has a right to safe, clean drinking water in their homes. No one should have to live with dirty, odorous, or contaminated water coming out of their faucets.

“Since early 2015, several residents of the City of Gardena have complained about black, foul-smelling tap water coming from their faucets, showers, and toilets. Some residents have refused to drink this “black water,” purchasing bottled water instead. It appears the complaints were concentrated in the Gramercy Place neighborhood.

“Unfortunately, these complaints are not new. As you mentioned in your email, there has been a history of customer complaints regarding the quality of the water provided by GSWC to its customers in Gardena, going back to at least 1999. These complaints related to the water’s taste, odor, color and particles.

“In your email, you stated, “On March 9, 2015, the service line tap location was relocated to the water main on Gramercy Place. Apparently there have not been any water quality complaints in the Gramercy Place neighborhood since that time.” You also stated that the issue appears to have been resolved, and that the cause is believed to have been “sediments, minerals, iron, manganese, and biofilm.”

“Furthermore, DDW instructed GSWC to complete the flushing of a portion of their water system in the Gramercy Place neighborhood, provide local residents with advance notice of flushing activities via postcards and/or door hangers, provide a full incident report, and update their Operations and Maintenance Plan. While you explained that GSWC has taken all of these actions, you nevertheless noted, “DDW is still working with the company to resolve some issues and to modify their procedures.”

“Given the impact that contaminated drinking water can have on a community, I believe further information is needed for myself and Gardena residents to remain confident in the water they use to drink, bathe and sustain their daily lives. Therefore, I would like an update of the situation. Specifically, I would like to obtain answers to the following questions: What were the findings of the incident report? What was the likely impact on residents who used the water contaminated with sediments, minerals, iron, manganese, and biofilm? How has GSWC updated their Operations and Maintenance Plan? What are the issues that still need to be resolved? What plans are in place to notify local residents of progress on these issues? What is the likelihood of this problem arising in the future? Most importantly, I would like to know in what ways GSWC’s procedures need to be modified and how these modifications will help to maintain water quality and safety.

“I know you share my concerns about drinking water quality in the City of Gardena, and I appreciate your commitment to clean, safe drinking water for individuals and families throughout the State of California. I appreciate your attention to my concerns, and I look forward to your official, written response to these outstanding questions within the next 30 days.

“Sincerely,

“Maxine Waters

“Member of Congress”

The signed letter and corresponding email can be viewed here: