City of Vallejo, CA

• Q: What does the Water Quality Division do, as part of the City of Vallejo Water Department?
  • A: The City of Vallejo Water Quality Division performs the sampling and testing of water throughout all stages of the water treatment process. Our staff collects and tests water weekly from all over the City, so you may even see us collecting water from one of our dedicated sample stations. We are proud to operate a laboratory that maintains State certification and accreditation under ELAP, which you can learn more about on the State Water Resources Control Board website.
    
    
• Q: My water looks/tastes unusual. What’s going on?
  •  A: Does your tap water have an unusual odor or color to it? If you have a sudden or ongoing water quality concern, please refer to “Troubleshooting Your Water”. The most common issues are addressed there. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, we recommend contacting your personal physician; Water Department staff are not trained medical professionals.
    
    
• Q: My water looks/tastes different from my neighbor’s water. How is that possible?
  • A: The City of Vallejo delivers high quality water to your home, through a network of pipes all over the City (the Distribution system). While the City is responsible for the maintenance of the Distribution system, it is not responsible for your home plumbing. All pipes past your water meter are private property. If you notice a difference between your and your neighbor’s water, it’s likely due to differences in your plumbing materials and age.
    
    
• Q: Should I be concerned about lead in my tap water?
  • A: None of the pipes in the City’s Distribution system contain lead, therefore the water that reaches your meter does not contain lead. However, lead can potentially leach from any pipes or fixtures that contain the metal, which are more likely in older homes. If your home was built before 1986 (when lead regulations changed), and the pipes, fixtures, flux, and solder are original, they are more likely to contain lead. Homes built after 1986 are at lower risk, however legally “lead-free” plumbing is allowed to contain up to 0.25% lead. You can learn more about lead in drinking water on the EPA's website. Additionally, the Water Department tests for lead and copper from homes throughout the treated water service area every three years. If you’re interested in volunteering for this program, contact the Water Department, and we will add you to our volunteer list when the next sampling event begins. Results from the triennial lead and copper studies are published in the Annual Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library.
    
    
• Q: Should I be concerned about any other chemicals in my tap water, like PFAS or hexavalent chromium?
  • A: The State and Federal governments set drinking water standards for a huge number of chemicals. A big part of water treatment is to remove or reduce chemical concentrations to meet or exceed those drinking water standards. It’s often the case that the raw source water doesn’t even contain a chemical contaminant to begin with, so there’s nothing to remove during treatment. You can read more about drinking water regulations and contaminants on the State Water Resources Control Board website. With respect to PFAS (or, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and hexavalent chromium, the City of Vallejo Water Department is currently on track and up to date with all regulatory monitoring requirements. In 2024, the City of Vallejo tested for but did not detect any of the 29 different PFAS from either the Vallejo or Lakes water treatment plants. If the Water Department’s monitoring detects a chemical, it will be included in the Annual Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library. If a chemical is monitored for but not detected, it may not appear in the report.
    
    
• Q: I’m interested in testing my tap water. How do I do that?
  • A: The City of Vallejo does not provide public water testing services for individual customers. Our staff collects and tests water weekly from all over the City to meet or exceed regulatory drinking water standards. The results of our testing are available in the the Annual Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library. If you are interested in having your tap water tested, you should instead find a State-certified commercial laboratory. A map of State-certified laboratories is available on the State Water Resources Control Board website; be sure to select a lab that is labeled as “Commercial”, not a “Municipal” lab. You may also contact the State to request a commercial laboratory by calling 916-323-3431, or emailing [email protected]. When you contact a State-certified lab, tell them you’re interested in home water testing, and mention any chemicals for which you might be interested in testing.
    
    
• Q: If there is a water quality emergency, how will I be informed?
  • A: The City of Vallejo Water Department takes pride in the high quality water we produce for our consumers. In the event that water quality does not meet drinking water standards, the Water Department is required by State law to notify the public in a manner appropriate for the severity of the exceedance, by following its Water Quality Emergency Notification Plan. For example, if E. coli were detected in any samples, within 24 hours the Department would notify the State and distribute public notifications about the exceedance through local radio, newspaper, social media, and go door-to-door in any affected areas. If you’re curious what the City of Vallejo Water Department notifications would look like, you can view the State-provided templates on the State Water Resources Control Board website; they would look similar to these. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, we recommend contacting your personal physician; Water Department staff are not trained medical professionals.

Does the tap water have an unusual taste or odor? You should confirm that the odor is in fact coming from the water itself, and not the drain. To do this, run the tap for 2 minutes. Then, fill a clean glass with water and turn off the tap. Step a few feet away from the sink, and smell the water in the glass. If the water in the glass does not have an odor, the problem is likely the drain. To disinfect your drain and reduce odors, you can use household/laundry bleach (handle carefully as bleach is a skin and eye irritant). If the water in the glass does have an odor, select from the common odors below to continue troubleshooting.

• Chlorine, bleachy, or pool smells – Chlorine is added to water to kill disease-causing microorganisms, ensuring it is safe to drink. The chlorine residual is kept as low as possible, but still high enough for proper disinfection. People with good senses of smell may be more sensitive. If the smell doesn’t go away after running your tap for a few minutes, fill a clean container with water, then cover and refrigerate it before drinking or using it for cooking; odors are less detectable in cold water and more detectable in warm or hot water.
  
  
• Earthy or grassy smells – If your water smells or tastes earthy, like dirt, grass, or lake water, there are a few possible causes. If you’re certain the odor is not coming from your drain (please read above), then it could be the public water supply. The City of Vallejo draws water from a few different sources, and when we change source waters, there can be an increase in organics, sometimes from algal blooms. This is more likely in warm and hot weather, and should go away after a few days at the most. Earthy, grassy, or algal tastes and odors do not pose a health risk. The water produced by the City of Vallejo Water Department meets State and Federal drinking water standards. Often, laboratory testing shows contaminants at concentrations too low to even detect, or far below the legally permissible limits. To make the water more palatable, fill a clean container with water, then cover and refrigerate it before drinking or using it for cooking; odors are less detectable in cold water and more detectable in warm or hot water.
  
  
• Rotten, rotten eggs, sulfurous, or sewage smells – If your water smells or tastes like rotten eggs or sewage, confirm the odor is not coming from your drain (please read above). Then, check if the smell is noticeable in either cold water or hot water. If the smell is noticeable when the tap is running cold water, but not in a glass of cold water, the odor is probably coming from the drain. If the smell is noticeable in hot water, then your water heater may need service. Call a plumber and ask them about water heater flushing or disinfection.

Does the tap water have an unusual color, or contain unknown particles? To perform this troubleshooting, you’ll need a clean glass and a well-lit room. Run the tap for 2 minutes. Then, fill a clean glass with water and turn off the tap. Observe the glass of water in good lighting to check for unusual aesthetics.

• White streaks, crystals, or residue on fixtures or dishes – White streaks, crystals, or residues on fixtures such as sink taps or showerheads, or on your dishes after running the dishwasher, are most likely due to the precipitation of non-hazardous and naturally occurring calcium and magnesium carbonates. These minerals, also called scale, are normally dissolved in the water, but can be left behind by evaporation, especially on dishes dried using the heated-dry dishwasher setting. You can remove buildup with white vinegar. The concentration of these minerals in water is referred to as water hardness. The Annual Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library, includes data on the hardness of your water. On average, both the Vallejo and Lakes service areas’ water can be considered on the low end of hard water, often around 130 milligrams per liter (or parts per million).
  
  
• Cloudy, bubbly, or milky white water – Air can dissolve in water just like salt or sugar can. When the dissolved air is released, it appears as very tiny bubbles, which, just like a carbonated soda, can give the water a cloudy appearance. Your water quality is unaffected by this dissolved air. Let the glass of water stand for a few minutes. If the cloudiness is due to air in your water, the bubbles will rise to the surface and the water should clarify from the bottom up.
  
  
• Rusty, reddish, orange, or brown water – Tap water that is reddish to yellow in color is often due to iron rust from rusting pipes in your home plumbing, or possibly the water main. Iron is regulated as a non-hazardous substance in drinking water (a Secondary Standard), but if you find the taste or look unpleasant, you can run your tap until the water is clear. If the discolored water is only present in the first few minutes of running the tap, the rust is likely from your home plumbing. If the discolored water does not clear after an additional few minutes of running the tap, try flushing at your front yard hose bib, if you have one (this hose bib is closer to the water main). If there is discolored water flowing from the hose bib after a few minutes of flushing, the problem could be a water main. If this is the case, please contact us at 707-648-4307.
  
  
• Blue or green water – Although rare, tap water that is blue, green, or blue-green in color can result from copper corrosion of copper pipes in your home plumbing. Copper is regulated as a potential health hazard in drinking water (a Primary Standard), which is why the City of Vallejo Water Department follows strict corrosion control regulations, so that the water that reaches your home isn’t corrosive enough to leach copper from your home plumbing (if you have copper pipes). Since the water entering your home is likely not corrosive, the copper corrosion could instead be the result of your home electrical system being grounded to your home plumbing. If this issue persists and is not resolved by flushing your taps, call a plumber and describe the issue.

Lead is not present in the drinking water that we produce at our water treatment plants. If water flows through pipes or plumbing materials made of lead, however, it can pick up some of that lead. None of the City-owned pipes in the water distribution system contain lead, therefore the water that reaches your meter does not contain lead.

Service lines are the pipes that connect the water main to your water meter, and the water meter to your home. While the City is responsible for the water main and service line up to the meter, the service line and plumbing past your meter are private property, and thus are not the City’s responsibility. The City cannot control the variety of materials used in your plumbing components. If your home was built before 1986 (when lead regulations changed), and the pipes, fixtures, flux, and solder are original, they are more likely, but not certain, to contain lead. To prevent lead exposure, the City of Vallejo, like all public water systems, follows several regulatory requirements:

(1) Corrosion Control - During treatment, the water undergoes different processes to ensure that the water is not too corrosive and does not leach metals, like lead or copper, from your home plumbing.

(2) Lead and Copper Sampling - Every three years, the City is required to collect a minimum number of samples from volunteer homeowners and test their water for lead and copper, to ensure the corrosion control treatment is effective. Your Water Quality Report, available in the Water Department Document Library, contains the results of the most recent triennial lead and copper study.

(3) Service Line Inventory - Throughout 2025 and 2026, the City will be inspecting and identifying customer-side service lines to assess whether any lead service lines exist, and then revising the service line inventory. You can find the service line inventories for both the Vallejo and Lakes Water Service Areas, and read more about the ongoing inspection process in this document, found in the Water Department Document Library.

• EPA.gov/safewater - Federal Environmental Protection Agency webpage with links to various topics such as the basics of drinking water and the associated regulations. 
  
  
• EPA.gov/lead - Federal Environmental Protection Agency webpage with links to information about all things lead (basics, how to reduce lead exposure, and more). 
  
  
• Waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/Chemicalcontaminants.html - State Environmental Protection Agency webpage that discusses drinking water contaminants, how they are regulated, and related information.