Stanford’s domestic water system recently exceeded a drinking water standard. While there is no emergency, this issue is being closely monitored and Stanford is providing notification in compliance with state requirements.
The Stanford University (Stanford) domestic water system is monitored for drinking water quality and water contaminants on a routine basis. Recently at one sampling location, results for haloacetic acids five (HAA5) resulted in an exceedance of the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). HAA5 is a common byproduct of the drinking water disinfection process. The standard for HAA5 is 60 micrograms per liter (µg/L). HAA5 compliance is measured by calculating an average of four quarterly water samples (called a Locational Running Annual Average [LRAA]). One of the four locations monitored for HAA5 in the Stanford water distribution system had a LRAA of 63.6 µg/L (average calculated between February and December 2016), exceeding the MCL of 60 µg/L.
Additional samples for HAA5 were collected in January 2017. These samples were substantially below the HAA5 MCL and levels that triggered the MCL exceedance in December 2016. Click here to see the full notification. For more information on water quality updates, visit https://suwater.stanford.edu/water-quality-updates
