5/16/19: Water Provided by City of Oxnard Is Clean and Safe

There are social media concerns about nitrate contamination in the drinking water in Oxnard. The problem is not in the City of Oxnard’s water supply. It is with the Vineyard Avenue Acres Mutual Water Company (VAAMWC). The water provided by the City of Oxnard is fine — it is clean and safe.

While the water customers in question are in a small area within our City limits, VAAMWC is a private, separate water system that does not have a physical connection to the City of Oxnard’s water system. The City of Oxnard does not supply water to VAAMWC customers, and there is no risk of contamination of the City’s water system.

The water provided by the City of Oxnard is clean and safe.

The State Water Resource Control Board recently mandated Vineyard Avenue Acres Mutual Water Company to provide its customers with a public notification of the violation of a primary contaminant exceedance for nitrate, meaning the water it is supplying exceeds the maximum limit allowed for nitrates in drinking water.

Questions about VAAMWC’s situation should be directed to Mr. Bill Ramirez at 805-469-0077. As part of Oxnard’s commitment to protect our public’s health and safety and providing good water quality, the City of Oxnard’s Water Division performs routine water quality sampling and analysis throughout our service area on a weekly basis. Specifically, nitrate is sampled routinely and analyzed by an independent laboratory. In addition to the routine sampling for nitrate, the Oxnard Water Division also incorporates sophisticated technology that constantly monitors nitrate levels.

The City of Oxnard’s annual water quality report can be found by following this link:  https://www.oxnard.org/CCR