# Scotts Valley Water District — Scotts Valley, Ca, CA — Drinking Water Quality (2023)

> Contaminant levels for the Scotts Valley Water District — Scotts Valley, Ca, CA public water system from its 2023 Consumer Confidence Report, compared to federal limits.

- Page: https://www.thewatermap.com/water/ca/scotts-valley-water-district-scotts-valley-ca/2023
- JSON API: https://www.thewatermap.com/api/water/ca/scotts-valley-water-district-scotts-valley-ca/2023
- Source: the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- Verification: transcribed by a model, cross-checked by a second model, approved before publishing
- Reporting year: 2023
- Contaminants measured: 11
- Contaminants with a federal limit: 3
- Contaminants at or above the federal limit: 0
- Part of The Water Map — https://www.thewatermap.com

## Contaminants measured

| Contaminant | Category | Measured level | Sampling context | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | Disinfectants | 0.7 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| HAA5 | Disinfection byproducts | 4 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Within the limit |
| TTHM | Disinfection byproducts | 37 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Within the limit |
| Fluoride | Inorganic chemicals | 0.3 mg/L (Average) | System-wide | 4 mg/L (MCL) | Within the limit |
| Arsenic | Metals | Not detected ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Within the limit |
| Copper | Metals | 0.19 mg/L (90th percentile) | At the tap | No federal limit | Within the limit |
| Lead | Metals | Not detected ug/L (90th percentile) | At the tap | No federal limit | Within the limit |
| Lithium | Metals | 42 ug/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Perfluorohexanoic acid | PFAS ("forever chemicals") | Not detected ng/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Perfluoropentanoic acid | PFAS ("forever chemicals") | Not detected ng/L (Average) | System-wide | No federal limit | Detected — no federal limit |
| Gross Alpha | Radionuclides | Not detected pCi/L (Average) | System-wide | 15 pCi/L (MCL) | Within the limit |

## What these contaminants are

- **Chlorine** — A disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. Effective and necessary, but high residual levels can cause taste and odor issues; the EPA caps the residual disinfectant level.
- **HAA5** — Haloacetic acids — a group of five disinfection byproducts formed when disinfectants react with organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is associated with an increased cancer risk.
- **TTHM** — Total trihalomethanes — a group of four chemicals (including chloroform) formed when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter. Long-term exposure above the federal limit is linked to liver, kidney, and central-nervous-system effects and increased cancer risk.
- **Fluoride** — A mineral often added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. Beneficial at low levels, but long-term exposure above the federal limit can cause bone disease and tooth mottling.
- **Arsenic** — A naturally occurring element that also enters water from industry and agriculture. A known human carcinogen; long-term exposure is linked to skin, bladder, and lung cancer.
- **Copper** — A metal that enters water from corroding household plumbing. Short-term exposure causes stomach distress; long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys.
- **Lead** — A toxic metal that leaches into water from old service lines, solder, and plumbing fixtures. There is no safe level of lead; it harms brain development in children and raises blood pressure in adults. The EPA sets an action level, not a health goal above zero.
- **Lithium** — A naturally occurring element found in some groundwater. No enforceable federal limit; on the EPA contaminant candidate list for further study.
- **Perfluorohexanoic acid** — Perfluorohexanoic acid, a shorter-chain PFAS 'forever chemical.' Monitored under EPA rules; persistent and widely detected.
- **Perfluoropentanoic acid** — Perfluoropentanoic acid, a shorter-chain PFAS 'forever chemical.' Monitored under EPA rules; persistent in the environment.
- **Gross Alpha** — Gross alpha particle activity — a combined measure of alpha-emitting radioactive substances. Long-term exposure above the federal limit increases cancer risk.

## How to read this

- A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
- 'Federal limit' is the EPA standard (MCL, action level, treatment technique, etc.) that the measured level is compared against.
- 'At or above the federal limit' means the utility's own reported figure met or exceeded that standard.

_Figures are the utility's own published numbers. Generated 2026-06-04 from thewatermap.com._