Show All Answers

1. What Sweetwater Authority is doing to address PFAS now? What is the long-term solution?

The health and safety of our customers is our top priority. Upon receipt of the testing results, Sweetwater Authority has taken immediate and proactive action by preparing a comprehensive outreach and education campaign, which is designed to share consistent, transparent updates to our customers in real time.

In addition to our outreach efforts, we’ve also started:

• Comprehensive PFAS monitoring and testing: In line with state and federal guidelines, we have aggressively performed PFAS testing to fully understand PFAS levels in our water supply. We completed two of the four EPA required tests. We’ve been committed to providing results with customers transparently.
• Exploration of advanced treatment technologies: We’re working with experts to determine the best long-term solution for removing PFAS.
• Seeking funding and cost savings: We are working with local, state and federal elected officials to pursue state and federal funding opportunities to help cover the costs of any necessary treatment.

What Comes Next?

• Evaluating the best treatment approach: There are different ways to remove PFAS from water, such as state of the art filtration systems like ion exchange (IX) and granular activated carbon (GAC) we are studying these options to determine the most effective and cost-efficient solution.
• Planning and compliance by 2029: We are on track to meet the new federal standards and will keep you updated on our progress.
• Understanding the financial impact: Upgrading water treatment facilities will require investment while we are working to secure outside funding, future rate adjustments may be needed. We are committed to keeping costs as low as possible for our customers.
• Keeping customers informed: As we learn more about long-term solutions, we will share updates and host community meetings to answer your questions.

2. What technologies or treatments are being considered as solutions

There are a number of advanced treatment technologies for PFAS removal in drinking water: granulated activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange resins (IX) and reverse osmosis, which are currently considered the best available technologies for PFAS removal in the water industry. As technology evolves and we learn more about the concentrations of contamination from the quarterly testing results, we will continue to evaluate the most effective options. Once we identify the potential solution, we’d need to conduct analysis on the potential options, studying costs and feasibility of each option. Once a preferred option was identified, we’d move into planning and design of a treatment solution and construction of the facility.

3. Will Sweetwater switch to a different water source temporarily? If blending is used as a mitigation measure, where does the additional water come from? Where does the blending occur?

We are evaluating all options to ensure the best possible water quality and minimize cost impacts to our customers. Switching to a different water source temporarily is a possibility. If blending were used, we would purchase water from the San Diego County Water Authority and blend it with water from the Sweetwater Reservoir and send it to the Perdue Water Treatment Plant and distribute to customers in the service area. The blending process would occur in underground pipes coming from Sweetwater Reservoir, immediately before the treatment process begins at Perdue Water Treatment Plant.

4. What is Sweetwater doing to remove PFAS from the water supply? How long will it take to fix this issue?

We currently have two of four required testing results. Once we determine our annual average PFAS level, we will take the necessary steps to address the issue using the best available control technology. This may include building a purification facility and/or exploring other advanced treatment technologies like ion exchange (IX) or granulated activated carbon (GAC).

The timeline depends on the specific mitigation solution we implement. We anticipate having a clearer picture by the end of 2025 once our quarterly testing requirement is complete. Sweetwater is required to perform quarterly monitoring for a 12-month period and will conduct two more quarterly tests in 2025: April 2025 and July 2025. Testing will continue through the end of 2025.