South Gate water system meets state standards; council to file 2025 public health goals report, PFAS treatment planned

The City Council voted Aug. 26 to receive and file the City of South Gate’s 2025 Public Health Goals Report, a statutorily required review of drinking-water compounds and potential treatment costs for a three-year reporting period.

City water manager Chris Castillo told the council the municipal water system serves more than 14,300 service connections, operates six active groundwater wells and two treatment facilities, and stores about 14 million gallons of water. Castillo said routine testing — about 2,000 samples per year — shows the system meets state and federal maximum contaminant levels (MCLs).

Nut graf: the report compares measured concentrations with nonbinding public health goals (PHGs). Several compounds were reported above their PHGs but remained below legal MCLs; staff recommended treating PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) as the priority because of the emerging regulatory focus and available funding opportunities.

Castillo identified 10 compounds that exceeded PHGs while remaining below enforceable MCLs. Those included arsenic, copper, certain solvents (TCE/PCE), gross alpha and beta activity, uranium, hexavalent chromium and PFAS (specifically PFOA and PFOS). The report presents ranges across wells (lowest-to-highest detection); a single well can show the highest value even while the system average stays well under MCLs.

On PFAS, Castillo said the city detected PFAS in two wells. He said PHG exceedances require public notification and that staff distributed a door-to-door flyer to meet a 30-day notice requirement. Castillo described PFAS levels in parts-per-trillion and said the recommended course is to treat for PFAS; staff estimated a high-level cost for PFOA/PFOS treatment and ongoing operation at roughly $286,286 per year (presented as a system-level planning figure rather than a per-customer fee).

City staff said treating all PHG exceedances — including arsenic, uranium and others — would be far more costly and not required because measured values remain under MCLs; staff estimated an illustrative cost of about $1,800 per customer per year to treat for the entire list of PHG exceedances, which the report described as not realistic or necessary given current MCL compliance.

Council member questions and public comments focused on clarity and outreach. Council member Rios asked whether the $286,286 figure is a one-time or recurring cost; Castillo said it represents an ongoing operation-and-maintenance (O&M) expense and design/construction amortization. Council members and staff said the city is pursuing grant funding and has already joined regional efforts; Vice Mayor Baron noted settlements and federal allocations (3M and congressional funds) contributing to PFAS remediation efforts in the region.

Resident Reese Kaufman, an environmental scientist, praised the city’s preemptive testing and urged continued public education. Castillo directed residents to the city’s annual water quality report and said the city will file the public-health-goals report with the state as required.

Action and next steps: the council voted to receive and file the report and authorized staff to proceed with filing and to continue design and grant-seeking for PFAS treatment. Staff said they expect to pursue construction funding and to implement PFAS treatment within roughly two years, contingent on grant availability and design completion.

Ending: City officials emphasized that the water system meets enforceable state and federal standards today, that PFAS is an emerging statewide issue being addressed by the city, and that residents will receive routine notifications and outreach as treatment planning proceeds.