Water

Water System Description

Livingston provides drinking water service to its residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers within the City limits. The City’s municipal water system extracts water from the underground aquifers via a series of groundwater wells distributed throughout the City. The City relies on groundwater to meet its supply needs. According to the 2005 Urban Water Management Plan, feasible alternative sources do not exist within or nearby the City of Livingston. The City must rely on the underlying groundwater basin as an expanding source for future water supply. The City’s water system facilities include eight active groundwater wells, a 1 million-gallon water storage tank, and over 36 miles of pressured pipes ranging from two inches to 16 inches in diameter. The active wells have individual capacities ranging from 970 to 1,400 gallons per minute. In January 2008, these wells had a current supply capacity of approximately 10.8 million gallons per day. The firm capacity, which is defined as the capacity less one of the largest wells being out of service, was approximately 8.9 million gallons per day. In August 2008, with the integration of Well #16 into the City’s water system, the supply capacity increased another 1.73 million gallons per day (mgd). Water storage is provided to balance the water distribution system and to meet fire flow and emergency requirements. State regulations require the City to deliver water pressures at 20 pounds per square inch (psi). Typically, the City’s water pressure is 48 psi or better.

Water System Improvements

The City spent approximately $3.2 million during FY2008 to install 18,936 feet of new water line.  $1,906,700 of the cost of the improvements was paid for by a State Proposition 13 water grant. In addition to replacing aging water lines, the City has been aggressively installing water meters to promote water conservation and ensure that all residential, commercial and industrial customers are billed the correct amount for the water they are using. Over the last two years over 1,600 water meters have been installed. Today, the City meters 97 percent of all its water accounts. Beyond water meters, the City has been requiring commercial customers, industrial customers, multi-family residential customers and other users to install backflow prevention devices to protect the water system from contamination. Future water system improvements are guided by the City’s Water Distribution System Master Plan approved by the City Council in May 2008. This document contains a description of the current water system and a list of future water system capital improvements.

Water Consumption

Historical water consumption and production show seasonal and yearly fluctuations. In 2005, the City produced over 2 billion gallons (5.6 million gallons per day or 6,283 acre-feet) of water servicing a population of approximately 14,321 residents. Over the past 10 years the consumption rate in the City has ranged between a low of 423 gallons per capita per day in 2003 to 628 gallons per capita per day in 1999. If industrial users are not included, the per capita consumption rates are considerably less. The current Water Distribution System Master Plan uses 200 gallons per capita per day for planning purposes.

Water System Regulations

The Safe Drinking Water Act, enacted into law on December 16, 1974, is the main federal law that ensures the quality of Americans’ drinking water by setting standards for drinking by setting standards for drinking water quality and by providing guidance to states, localities and water suppliers who implement those standards. Drinking water quality is governed by the provisions of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, which specify the allowable maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for a wide range of primary and secondary water quality constituents. The City tests the drinking water quality for many constituents as required by State and Federal regulations and publishes the results in an annual Consumer Confidence Report.