Water Quality Report
Consumer Confidence and Water Quality Report - 2024
Our Commitment to Safe and Reliable Water - A Message from the GM
The mission of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) remains clear: to deliver safe, high-quality water reliably, affordably, and with environmental responsibility at the forefront. As California continues to face complex water challenges—including climate change, emerging contaminants, and aging infrastructure—we remain focused on protecting public health and preserving the natural resources of our communities locally.
I’m proud to report that once again, the drinking water delivered to your homes and businesses met or exceeded every state and federal drinking water standard. In 2024, our dedicated team, from field operators to lab technicians, collected over 1,200 water samples throughout our distribution system and conducted more than 11,000 tests to ensure your water is safe, clean, and dependable every time you turn on the tap. The detailed results of that work are included in this report.
This past year also brought unexpected challenges. The Palisades Fire was a stark reminder of how vulnerable our region is to wildfires, and we remain committed to supporting those customers who were directly impacted. We’re incredibly proud of the swift, coordinated response from LVMWD staff, who ensured uninterrupted water delivery during critical firefighting efforts and safeguarded public access to water despite extreme conditions. The resilience of our water distribution system—and the people behind it—was truly on display.
Looking forward, we continue to invest in water reliability and diversification. With the impact of a changing climate stressing our imported water sources from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California—we're accelerating local and sustainable solutions. One of the most promising is the Pure Water Project Las Virgenes–Triunfo, which will purify recycled water to drinking water standards, reducing reliance on distant water sources and improving drought resilience. Coming online by 2030, this project will supply 30% of our drinking water needs.
As part of our broader portfolio strategy, LVMWD has also partnered with OceanWell, an innovative ocean desalination technology company, to explore the potential of sustainable, local seawater purification. This partnership reflects our commitment to thinking boldly and responsibly about the future of water in our region.
Efficiency remains one of our most powerful tools. Our Landscape Transformation Program and conservation initiatives help customers lower their bills and contribute to long-term water savings. It’s the simplest and most cost-effective strategy to ensure supply reliability.
We’re also modernizing how we do business—from solar power that runs our treatment facilities to the use of artificial intelligence in water quality optimization—always with an eye on keeping costs down and service high.
Every action we take is rooted in a commitment to you: our customers, our community, and our shared environment. Thank you for your continued trust in LVMWD.
David Pedersen, PE
11,000 Tests on 1,200 Samples Every Year
Every year, LVMWD diligently executes extensive state-mandated testing for water quality constituents by collecting over 1,200 water samples, taken from the drinking water system, and conducts over 11,000 laboratory analyses, in a state-certified water quality lab, to ensure high-quality drinking water and public health. These tests are conducted by highly-trained and skilled professionals. This continuous and important routine ensures that our water is not only safe to drink but also is consistently the best it can be. Yet, 39% of customers that prefer bottled water drink it because they believe it is of higher quality than tap water. While bottled water companies are also required to conduct testing for water quality through the Food and Drug Administration, water utilities in California are required by the State Division of Drinking Water to undergo, arguably, the most stringent and comprehensive water quality testing in the United States, if not the world. LVMWD continues to meet or exceed all the standards for safe and high-quality drinking water as established by state mandates.
These tables may contain complex measurements and terminology, but they also contain valuable information about the water delivered to your tap. The District is required to report contaminants that are detected; none were found at levels considered to be unsafe or unhealthy in LVMWD tap water.
Download and view the 2024 Water Quality Report/Consumer Confidence ReportLVMWD is entirely dependent upon water imported from elsewhere; there are no local drinking water sources. The supply to our region travels hundreds of miles from Lake Oroville in the Sierras via the State Water Project and is then treated and conveyed to the District by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). LVMWD is one of MWD’s 26 member agencies.
Your water is routinely tested before it ever reaches the tap. This report conveys the results of tests conducted in 2024. Readers of this report sometimes ask if the substances identified in the report are harmful. It is normal to find trace amounts of contaminants in tap water or bottled water unless it is distilled or treated through a process such as reverse osmosis. Trace salts and minerals are natural and keep water from tasting “flat.”
The sources of drinking water (both tap and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and various contaminants.
Contaminants that we test for and may be present in source water include:
- Microbes, such as viruses and bacteria that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
- Inorganics, such as salts and metals, that can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
- Pesticides and herbicides that may come from a variety of sources, such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
- Radioactive materials that can be naturally occurring or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
- Organic chemicals, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals that are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production. These chemicals can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural operations, and septic systems.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) prescribe regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.
More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
Health Advisory for Persons with Weakened Immune Systems
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. People who are immunocompromised, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, those who have undergone organ transplants, those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, and some elderly and infants, can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking water.
USEPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
When evaluating the presence of contaminants in your water, consider the following comparative measures:
- One part per million (milligrams per liter) equals three drops added to a 42-gallon barrel.
- One part per billion (micrograms per liter) equals one drop added to a large tanker truck.
- One part per trillion (nanograms per liter) equals ten drops added to the Rose Bowl Stadium filled with water.
- One part per quadrillion (picograms per liter) equals two teaspoons added to Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
How to read these water quality tables.
These tables may contain complex measurements and terminology, but they also contain valuable information about the water delivered to your tap. The District is required to report contaminants that are detected; none were found at levels considered to be unsafe or unhealthy in LVMWD tap water.
Testing results are presented for source water from the Jensen Water Treatment Plant operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and for LVMWD’s water delivery system. The values provided in the “LVMWD” column more closely represent the quality of water delivered to most homes and businesses. Should you have any questions or need clarification, please call us at (818) 251- 2200, or contact any of the agencies listed in this report under “Additional Information.”
View or Download the 2024 LMVWD Water Quality Data presented below as a PDF.Definition of Terms and Footnotes
| Average | Result based on arithmetic mean |
|---|---|
| CaCO3 | Calcium Carbonate |
| CFE | Combined Filter Effluent |
| CFU | Colony-Forming Units |
| DLR | Detection Limits for Purposes of Reporting |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| HAA5 | Sum of five haloacetic acids |
| HPC | Heterotrophic Plate Count |
| LRAA | Locational Running Annual Average; highest LRAA is the highest of all Locational Running Annual Averages calculated as an average of all samples collected within a 12-month period |
| MCL | Maximum Contaminant Level |
| MCLG | Maximum Contaminant Level Goal |
| MRDL | Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level |
| MRDLG | Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal |
| NA | Not Applicable |
| ND | Not Detected at or above DLR or RL |
| NL | Notification Level to SWCRB |
| NTU | Nephelometric Turbidity Units |
| pCi/L | picoCuries per Liter |
| PHG | Public Health Goal |
| ppb | parts per billion or micrograms per liter (µg/L) |
| ppm | parts per million or milligrams per liter (mg/L) |
| ppt | parts per trillion or nanograms per liter (ng/L) |
| RAA | Running Annual Average; highest RAA is the highest of all Running Annual Averages calculated as an average of all the samples collected within a 12-month period |
| Range | Results based on minimum and maximum values; range and average values are the same if a single value is reported for samples collected once or twice annually |
| RL | Reporting Limit |
| SI | Saturation Index (Langelier) |
| SWRCB | State Water Resources Control Board |
| TDS | Total Dissolved Solids |
| TON | Threshold Odor Number |
| TT | Treatment Technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water |
| TTHMs | Total Trihalomethanes |
| μS/cm | microSiemen per centimeter; or micromho per centimeter (μmho/cm) |
| Footnotes | |
| A | Turbidity, a measure of cloudiness of the water, is an indicator of treatment performance. Turbidity was in compliance with the TT primary drinking water standard and the secondary drinking water standard of less than 5 NTU. |
| B | Compliance is based on monthly samples from treatment plant effluent (MWD) and the distribution system. |
| C | Metropolitan's compliance with the State MCL for aluminum is based on RAA. No secondary standard MCL exceedance occurred. |
| D | Metropolitan was in compliance with all provisions of the State's fluoridation system requirements. Fluoride feed systems were temporarily out of service during treatment plant shutdowns and/or maintenance work in 2024, resulting in occasional fluoride levels below 0.7 mg/L. |
| E | LVMWD is on a reduced monitoring schedule for Combined Radium-226+228. Sample results from 6/8/2020. |
| F | LVMWD is on a reduced monitoring schedule for Uranium. Sample results from 2/19/2020. |
| G | Compliance with the State and Federal MCLs is based on RAA or LRAA, as appropriate. Metropolitan plant core locations for TTHM and HAA5 are service connections specific to each of the treatment plant effluents. |
| H | PHG assigned for each THM analyte (bromodichloromethane, bromoform chloroform, and dibromochloromehane) as 0.06 ppb, 0.5 ppb, 0.4 ppb, and 0.1 ppb, accordingly; and for each HAA5 analyte (monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid) as 53 ppb, 0.2 ppb, 0.1 ppb, 25 ppb, and 0.03 ppb, respectively. Health risk varies with different combinations and ratios of the other THMs and HAA5 in a particualr sample. |
| I | Results in chart are for Metropolitan's Jensen Plant. Metropolitan's distribution system had a range of ND - 3.0 and an average of ND for NDMA. |
| J | Positive SI = non-corrosive; tendency to precipitate and/or deposit scale on pipes. Negative SI = corrosive; tendency to dissolve calcium carbonate. |
Additional Information About Drinking Water Safety and Standards
California Environmental Protection Agency - State Water Resources Control Board
1001 I St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 449-5577
waterboards.ca.gov/tiny/pws.shtml
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Office of Ground and Drinking Water
401 M St., SW
Washington, DC 20460
(800) 426-4791
epa.gov/safewater
U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 C