The Orange County Water District (OCWD) manages the Orange County Groundwater Basin (Basin) that supplies 77% of the water supply to 2.5 million people in north and central Orange County. PFAS have been detected in the Basin, entering primarily via the Santa Ana River whose flows infiltrate into and recharge the Basin. Although chemical manufacturers are the original source of PFAS chemicals, cities and water agencies must find ways to remove them from local water supplies. The PFAS impact to Orange County is estimated to cost more than $1 billion over 30 years, a cost that will likely increase. OCWD supports federal legislation that protects ratepayers and water/wastewater agencies from these devastating impacts and urges Congress to cast votes that support these public policy positions.

OCWD closely monitors potential PFAS legislation and encourages water agencies and stakeholders to advocate for critical PFAS policy priorities including: 1) All PFAS related legislation must exempt water and wastewater agencies from any liability for PFAS clean-up costs, 2) All legislative efforts to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act must preserve the current use of cost-benefit analysis in the development of drinking water standards, and 3) Provide funding for PFAS remediation to water and wastewater agencies. Staff recommends adopting a resolution that will aid the OCWD in communicating its position on these important public policy matters, on behalf of the City, to stakeholders and legislators. These efforts will supplement existing OCWD materials on this issue per the attached fact sheets.

There is no impact to the General Fund.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Adopt a resolution and request approval to submit letters to Congress for supporting federal water related PFAS legislation that protects ratepayers and water/wastewater agencies.

By: Samuel Kim, P.E., Water Services Manager