Humboldt County public water systems

Status classification

Share of listed systems, followed by the count, reported population, and funding in each status.

Failing14%

At-Risk10%

Potentially At-Risk12%

Not At-Risk62%

Failing

At-Risk

Potentially At-Risk

Not At-Risk

Not Assessed

Systems

7

5

6

31

1

Population

3,311

2,313

2,007

113,839

680

Funding since 2017

$2M

$7M

$33M

$26M

$0

Key figures

50

public water systems

122,150

reported population

58%

serve 500 people or fewer

$68M

reported funding since 2017

System locations

Points show reported system locations. They do not represent service-area boundaries.

Each point represents one system record. Nearby or overlapping points can conceal multiple systems.

Summary

Humboldt County has 50 public water systems in the SAFER dataset. Of these, 12 (24%) are classified as Failing or At-Risk.

Those systems report serving 5,624 people. The county profile is also shaped by small systems: 29 systems serve 500 people or fewer.

1 system is listed as Not Assessed, serving 680 people, so Not Assessed should not be read as a low-risk classification.

Reported funding since 2017 totals $68M across 16 systems. Technical assistance funding totals $3M.

System counts and reported population

Not At-Risk systems make up 62% of listed systems and 93% of reported population. A few large systems drive that population, so it reaches more people than its system count suggests.

Risk profile

Risk in Humboldt County is distributed across four dimensions. Accessibility contributes the largest share of the combined weighted risk score at 41%. Across all individual indicators, No intertie appears most often, affecting 40 of 49 assessed systems.

Water Quality

of combined weighted risk

State 32% · ▼ 22 pts

Most common flagWater quality trends toward MCL

Accessibility

of combined weighted risk

State 36% · ▲ 5 pts

Most common flagNo intertie

Affordability

of combined weighted risk

State 17% · ▲ 17 pts

Most common flagHousehold socioeconomic burden

TMF Capacity

of combined weighted risk

State 15% · – 0 pts

Most common flagTotal net annual income

Water Quality

Water Quality accounts for 10% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Water quality trends toward MCL appears in 8 of 49 assessed systems. Past presence on Failing list is next, appearing in 7 of 49 assessed systems.

Each indicator was assessed for 49 systems.

Accessibility

Accessibility accounts for 41% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. No intertie appears in 40 of 49 assessed systems. Limited water sources is next, appearing in 28 of 49 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 43 to 49 assessed systems.

Affordability

Affordability accounts for 35% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Household socioeconomic burden appears in 39 of 49 assessed systems. Share of household income is next, appearing in 18 of 44 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 44 to 49 assessed systems.

TMF Capacity

TMF Capacity accounts for 14% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Total net annual income appears in 20 of 47 assessed systems. Operating ratio is next, appearing in 10 of 47 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 43 to 49 assessed systems.

Patterns and context

The countywide totals hide important differences among systems. The panels below show how SAFER status varies by system size and service-area economic status, what conditions appear among Failing systems, and how reported funding is distributed across the 50 systems in Humboldt County.

Status by system size

SAFER status within each population group

Among systems serving 500 people or fewer, 7 of 29 are Failing or At-Risk. The highest concentration occurs among systems serving 501 to 3,300, at 31%.

Economic context

Orange shows Failing or At-Risk systems within each service-area group

DAC and SDAC service areas contain 50 of 50 listed systems. Within those two groups, 12 systems are Failing or At-Risk.

Conditions among Failing systems

A system can appear under more than one condition

No primary analytes were listed for Failing systems.

Among 7 Failing systems, 6 report treatment technique violation. No primary analytes are listed for these systems.

Reported funding

Totals since 2017 and number of systems reporting funding

Funding since 2017 totals $68M across 16 systems. Potentially At-Risk systems account for 48% of that total. Reported technical assistance funding adds $3M.

Key takeaways

24%

of systems are Failing or At-Risk

That represents 12 systems reporting service to 5,624 people. That is below the statewide average of 33%.

41%

of weighted risk comes from Accessibility

The most widespread individual flag is no intertie, found in 40 of 49 assessed systems. Statewide, Accessibility accounts for 36% of weighted risk.

58%

of systems serve 500 people or fewer

Small systems account for 29 of the county’s 50 listed systems. That is below the statewide average of 61%.