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Gilroy accepts drinking-water public health-goal report; PCE levels slightly above nonregulatory goal but well under MCL
Summary
City staff presented the triennial Public Health Goal report for the Gilroy Drinking Water System and told council the system met all maximum contaminant levels; the nonregulatory public-health goal for tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was marginally exceeded in average but remained far below the enforceable MCL.
Gilroy's utilities staff presented the required public health goal (PHG) report for the city's drinking-water system on June 16 and advised council that the system met all regulatory maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). The report noted one nonregulatory exceedance: the triennial average for tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was 0.07 micrograms per liter versus the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment's PHG of 0.06 ' an amount staff said is well below the enforceable MCL of 5 micrograms per liter.
Heath McMahon, utilities director, explained the difference between MCLs (regulatory, enforceable standards set by the State Water Resources Control Board and the U.S. EPA) and PHGs (California-only, health-protective goals that do not consider costs or treatment feasibility). Gilroy's water system is groundwater-supplied; staff said all MCLs were met for the review period (2022'2024). The PCE finding reflected legacy contamination sources such as historic dry-cleaning solvents entering groundwater; staff reported that six of nine city wells showed no detectable PCE and the highest individual sample remained 64% below the MCL.
Staff recommended that council accept the PHG report and opened the matter to public comment; no speakers provided comments on the item. Council did not direct additional treatment or capital projects based on the PHG exceedance, and staff said no further action beyond continued monitoring and public disclosure was proposed.
Why it matters: The PHG process gives a public, triennial accounting of nonregulatory health-goal exceedances that can prompt public discussion or future treatment decisions. In this case the exceedance was narrowly above the PHG and far below the regulatory MCL, and utilities staff told council the city's water met all state and federal drinking-water standards.
Ending: Council accepted the report. Utilities staff will continue monitoring wells and report any material changes to council and the public.
