Morro Bay PW Department - Water Division

Where Does My Water Come From?

Throughout recent years, we've collected hundreds of water samples to determine the presence of radioactive, organic, inorganic, volatile organic, or synthetic organic contaminants. We're pleased to report that for 2017, we maintained full compliance with regulations. While raw well water may have shown contaminant levels exceeding municipal water standards, all water delivered to households had reduced contaminant levels through either blending or treatment processes.

The table in our annual report lists all municipal water contaminants detected during the most recent sampling period. When contaminants were tested for but not found in the system or source water, they are not included in this report. The presence of contaminants doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk.

The State allows monitoring for certain contaminants less than once yearly since concentrations typically remain stable. Some data, while representative of water quality, may be more than a year old.

The City of Morro Bay primarily sources water from the State Water Project, managed regionally by the Central Coast Water Authority. This water undergoes treatment at the Polonio Pass Water Treatment Plant near Highways 41 and 46 before being pumped to Morro Bay. This supply may be supplemented with water from wells near Lila Keiser Park (Morro Basin) and Chorro Creek Road (Chorro Basin). Some well water requires nitrate treatment through mixing or filtration, and all well water receives disinfection before distribution.

During 2017, State Water provided 88% of the City's municipal water while wells provided the remaining 12%, with all well water being treated through the Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis plant.

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