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City of Pleasanton Water Quality Division's Report on Water Quality Relative to Public Health Goals 2022 June 2022 -Page 4 of 8 BACKGROUND OF THE PHG REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with the Calderon-Sher Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996, water utilities in California are required to prepare a report once every three years for constituents that exceed public health goals (PHGs). PHGs are non-enforceable goals established by The California Environmental Protection Agency's (CAL EPA) Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Under California Drinking Water Regulations Section 116365, the OEHHA is required to adopt PHGs for all regulated drinking water constituents. The law requires that where OEHHA has not adopted a PHG for a constituent, water suppliers are to use the MCLGs adopted by The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Only constituents, which have a California primary drinking water standard, and for which either a PHG or MCLG has been set, are to be addressed in the reports (See Attachment No. 1). Under Section 116470(b) of the California Water Code, public water systems with more than 10,000 service connections (Pleasanton currently has approximately 22,000 service connections)that detect one or more constituents in drinking water that exceed the applicable PHGs must prepare a PHG report. Each water provider is required to include in the report the following: • Identify each contaminant that exceeds the applicable State PHG; • Disclose the associated public health risks at both, the current enforceable drinking water standard(MCL), and the PHG; • Identify the best available technology for treatment and; • Estimate the aggregate cost associated with reducing the contaminant to below the PHG. What are PHGs? As noted, PHGs are set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA),which is part of Cal-EPA,and are based solely on public health risk considerations. None of the practical risk-management factors that are considered by the USEPA or the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in setting drinking water standards (MCLS) are considered in setting the PHGs. These practical factors include analytical detection capability, treatment technology available, benefits and costs. The PHGs are not enforceable and are not required to be met by any pubic water system. MCLGs are the federal equivalent to PHGs. 4