Water Supply

Where Does the City of Lodi's Water Supply Come from?

Since its construction in 2012, Lodi's surface water treatment plant has provided approximately 50% of Lodi’s drinking water. Twenty five computer controlled wells, located throughout the City, provide high quality groundwater. The wells operate automatically on water pressure demand so that when water use increases, more wells are started. Additionally, nine wells are equipped with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration units to ensure high quality water.

Lodi is fortunate in having a high quality groundwater supply. However, that supply is at risk and must be carefully managed. The following section describes some of these measures.

PCE (Tetrachloroethylene) & TCE (Trichloroethylene)

The City, working with regulatory agencies and potentially responsible parties in a cooperative manner, is pursuing a resolution to a groundwater contamination problem in the north and central Lodi area. While no operating wells are out of compliance with any State or Federal drinking water standards, the contamination is a serious threat. PCE (Tetrachloroethylene) and TCE (Trichloroethylene) have been detected in samples taken in soils and groundwater. The City's consultants have developed a computer model of the groundwater, which will enable the City to optimize the number, size and location of wells to accomplish the cleanup in an efficient manner. The City’s share of these costs has largely been determined and funding secured through insurance company settlements has been set aside to pay for this work. If you would like to obtain the latest TCE/PCE Cleanup and Groundwater Monitoring Report, please call 209-333-6878.

Dibromochloropropane (DBCP)

Dibromochloropropane (DBCP) was used by area farmers to kill nematodes in vineyards. DBCP was banned in California in 1977, but is still present in trace levels in some groundwater. The City of Lodi used 23 (of 28) wells to provide drinking water in 2018. The wells are rotated so over the course of time, water being delivered is a blend from these wells. Thirteen of Lodi’s wells have no detectable DBCP. Seven wells have Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters to remove DBCP. All wells used in 2018 met State and Federal drinking water standards. The result is that the people of Lodi are being served water below the DBCP level deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of California. In 1996 the City settled a lawsuit against DBCP manufacturers, who have already paid the City for a large portion of Lodi’s costs related to DBCP treatment. These manufacturers will continue to pay a large portion of the City’s DBCP related costs for the settlement’s 40-year term. If you would like to obtain the latest GAC Filtration and DBCP Report, please call 209-333-6878.