Monterey County public water systems

Failing or At-Risk

61systems

21,115people served (5% of total)

Not At-Risk or Not Assessed

84systems

428,963people served (92% of total)

includes Not Assessed systems, which are outside the SAFER assessment

Status classification

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

Failing11%

At-Risk26%

Potentially At-Risk14%

Not At-Risk48%

Failing

At-Risk

Potentially At-Risk

Not At-Risk

Not Assessed

Systems

18

43

23

81

3

Population

5,436

15,679

14,671

185,709

243,254

Funding since 2017

$15M

$1M

$0

$37K

$0

Key figures

168

public water systems

464,749

reported population

80%

serve 500 people or fewer

$16M

reported funding since 2017

System locations

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

Each point represents one system record.

Summary

Monterey County has 168 public water systems in the SAFER dataset. Of these, 61 (36%) are classified as Failing or At-Risk.

Those systems report serving 21,115 people. The county profile is also shaped by small systems: 134 systems serve 500 people or fewer.

3 systems are Not Assessed. These fall outside the SAFER risk assessment, so they carry no classification either way.

Reported funding since 2017 totals $16M across 5 systems. Technical assistance funding totals $5M.

System counts and reported population

Not Assessed systems make up 2% of listed systems and 52% of reported population. A few large systems account for most of that population, so a small number of systems can shift the population picture entirely. Counts and population are worth reading together.

Risk profile

Risk in Monterey County is distributed across four dimensions. Accessibility contributes the largest share of the combined weighted risk score at 38%. Across all individual indicators, No intertie appears most often, affecting 156 of 165 assessed systems.

Water Quality

of combined weighted risk

State 33% · ▲ 3 pts

Most common flagWater quality trends toward MCL

Accessibility

of combined weighted risk

State 36% · ▲ 3 pts

Most common flagNo intertie

Affordability

of combined weighted risk

State 17% · ▼ 3 pts

Most common flagHousehold socioeconomic burden

TMF Capacity

of combined weighted risk

State 14% · ▼ 3 pts

Most common flagTotal net annual income

Water Quality

Water Quality accounts for 36% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Water quality trends toward MCL appears in 57 of 165 assessed systems. Emerging contaminants is next, appearing in 35 of 165 assessed systems.

Each indicator was assessed for 165 systems.

Accessibility

Accessibility accounts for 38% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. No intertie appears in 156 of 165 assessed systems. Limited water sources is next, appearing in 75 of 165 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 152 to 165 assessed systems.

Affordability

Affordability accounts for 15% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Household socioeconomic burden appears in 74 of 165 assessed systems. Extreme water bill is next, appearing in 32 of 158 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 158 to 165 assessed systems.

TMF Capacity

TMF Capacity accounts for 12% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Total net annual income appears in 60 of 161 assessed systems. Operating ratio is next, appearing in 49 of 161 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 147 to 165 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 168 systems in Monterey County.

Status by system size

SAFER status within each population group

Among systems serving 500 people or fewer, 53 of 134 are Failing or At-Risk. This size group has the county’s highest concentration of high-concern classifications.

Economic context

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

DAC and SDAC service areas contain 36 of 168 listed systems. Within those two groups, 13 systems are Failing or At-Risk.

Conditions among Failing systems

A system can appear under more than one condition

Frequently listed primary analytes

Nitrate12
Arsenic3
1,2,3-Trichloropropane2
Nitrate-Nitrite1
Tthm1

Among 18 Failing systems, 15 report primary MCL violation. The most frequently listed primary analytes are Nitrate, Arsenic, and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane.

Reported funding

Totals since 2017 and number of systems reporting funding

Funding since 2017 totals $16M across 5 systems. Failing systems account for 92% of that total. Reported technical assistance funding adds $5M.

Key takeaways

36%

of systems are Failing or At-Risk

That represents 61 systems reporting service to 21,115 people. That is above the statewide average of 33%.

38%

of weighted risk comes from Accessibility

The most widespread individual flag is no intertie, found in 156 of 165 assessed systems. Statewide, Accessibility accounts for 36% of weighted risk.

80%

of systems serve 500 people or fewer

Small systems account for 134 of the county’s 168 listed systems. That is above the statewide average of 63%.