The Abridged version:
- A new state regulation is making Winters upgrade its drinking water system to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
- The change has to do with levels of hexavalent chromium, a potentially dangerous contaminant found in water across the county.
- The mandate is likely to increase water bills more than 65%.
A new statewide mandate is forcing the city of Winters to build a multimillion-dollar well. The cost could increase resident water bills more than 65%.
“That’s a real hit,” said Jeremy Craig, Winters city manager.
The expense follows the state lowering the level of hexavalent chromium allowed in drinking water, a move meant to protect people from the potentially cancer-causing chemical.
In Winters, the shift put most of the city’s existing water system out of compliance, and leaders need to find a fix by October 2027. To solve the problem, the city plans to build a new well that would better filter and treat drinking water, a project that could cost up to $20 million.
For a water system that brings in about $1.6 million to $1.8 million in revenue each year, that’s a large bill.
“To put that in perspective, we’re talking almost a decade of our entire revenue to do this fix,” Craig said.
Beyond passing that cost on to the ratepayers, options are limited.
“And what do we do? Get rid of the Police Department to pay for the water?” Craig said.
What’s hexavalent chromium?
Hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6, is a chemical that occurs naturally or from industrial processes. Elevated levels of it can have adverse health effects, including increased cancer risk, an issue that gained national attention after a famous outbreak of contamination in Hinkley, a small town in San Bernardino County, in the 1990s.
California has had the country’s most stringent regulations on how much of the contaminant is allowed in drinking water. Federally, there can be up to 100 parts per billion, but California has only allowed 50 parts per billion since 1977.
Then, after a decade of legal battles with local water agencies, the State Water Resources Control Board lowered the regulation to 10 parts per billion in 2024. Officials said that amount of the chemical would reduce the chance of a consumer developing cancer to a 1 in 2,000 chance.
But the new rule left Winters with only two of its five wells in compliance.
“Our worst well is in the low 20s,” Craig said of its amount of hexavalent chromium.
On top of that, the city would have to remedy the problem by October 2027, three years from the state water board’s decision.
“We jokingly say we’re building the airplane while we’re flying it,” Craig said. “Everything is a time crunch right now.”
Building a new well
Winters officials plan on building a new well and using it alongside the existing ones that are already in compliance.
To do that, the city will need to come up with roughly $20 million to build the well and treatment system, with ongoing expenses expected each year, including filter replacement and disposal.
“It’s a really, really big Brita filter,” Craig said.
The state offers low-interest loans to help cover the cost, but those are not guaranteed and would not preclude the need to raise water bills for residents.
Blair Robertson, spokesperson for the state water board, said in an email that “statewide drinking water standards cannot be determined solely by what is affordable for the smallest water systems serving a relatively small share of California’s population.”
But economic feasibility was a key factor in establishing the regulation.
“The board’s task is to establish a standard that provides meaningful public health protection while remaining achievable for most systems,” he said.
More complications
As officials in Winters work to solve the problem, they have identified multiple complications with the plan to build a new well.
The rate adjustment process allows residents to protest the change, and if a simple majority of ratepayers submit letters of opposition, the increase can be canceled altogether.
If built, the well would provide enough water for the current population of Winters.
But any substantial expansion would require another large infrastructure investment.
Craig said that would likely scare away potential developers looking to build in Winters.
“So you’re talking about someone who wants to build a 200-home subdivision, and we come to them and say, ‘Well, you gotta put 20-plus-million dollars up front to build all this water infrastructure before you can build house one,’” Craig said. “What’s the odds of a house being built?”
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.