Pasadena’s Cloudy, ‘Hard Water’ Safe to Drink, Says PWP and City Manager

Pasadena Water and Power and the City Manager’s office are assuring water consumers that water coming from PWP taps is safe to drink, despite observations it has become unusually ‘hard’ and cloudy.

The City Manager’s Office gave the assurance in its Weekly Newsletter released on Thursday, October 15th, where it also explained the cloudiness as well as the ‘hard water’ issue can both be attributed to the drought’s effect on water supplies.

Quoting PWP Interim General Manager Eric Klinkner, City Manager Michael J. Beck said PWP’s water is harder because supplies from Northern California, which have a lower mineral content, have been reduced.

“PWP normally blends water from three sources, including local groundwater, the Colorado River, and the State Water Project in Northern California,” Beck writes in the Newsletter. “Local groundwater and water imported from the Colorado River contain relatively higher amounts of calcium and magnesium, and as a result are often described as ‘hard’ water sources. Because PWP is currently unable to blend the harder water sources with water from SWP, some of our customers have noticed an increase in hardness.”

On the issue of cloudiness or milky appearance of the water, Beck said this is due to air bubbles. He said the amount of air bubbles in PWP’s water is higher than normal because the local water table is lower than normal.

“With lower water tables, PWP’s wells draw more air bubbles into the water when it is pumped out,” wrote Beck. “When this water is delivered to customer’s taps, it often comes out appearing cloudy, milky or white. The water will clear in a few moments if allowed to settle.”

PWP, on its website, reassures Pasadena residents that there is no cause for concern about the health impacts of hard water.
“All tap water contains dissolved minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron, with calcium and magnesium possessing beneficial nutrients that positively impact the human body,” PWP said.

It also said water softeners and descaling products can help reduce the effect of excess minerals in water causing white spots on glass, porcelain and other fixtures.

PWP customers are advised to call PWP’s Water Quality Manager David Kimbrough at (626) 744-7315 for any questions about the water quality.