Sutter County public water systems

Status classification

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

Failing18%

At-Risk24%

Potentially At-Risk12%

Not At-Risk35%

Not Assessed12%

Failing

At-Risk

Potentially At-Risk

Not At-Risk

Not Assessed

Systems

3

4

2

6

2

Population

280

9,940

228

73,867

308

Funding since 2017

$8M

$0

$4M

$0

Key figures

17

public water systems

84,623

reported population

82%

serve 500 people or fewer

$12M

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

Sutter County has 17 public water systems in the SAFER dataset. Of these, 7 (41%) are classified as Failing or At-Risk.

Those systems report serving 10,220 people. The county profile is also shaped by small systems: 14 systems serve 500 people or fewer.

2 systems are listed as Not Assessed, serving 308 people, so Not Assessed should not be read as a low-risk classification.

Reported funding since 2017 totals $12M across 3 systems. Technical assistance funding totals $825K.

System counts and reported population

Not At-Risk systems make up 35% of listed systems and 87% of reported population. A few large systems drive that population, so it reaches more people than its system count suggests.

Risk profile

Risk in Sutter County is distributed across four dimensions. Water Quality contributes the largest share of the combined weighted risk score at 55%. Across all individual indicators, No intertie appears most often, affecting 14 of 15 assessed systems.

Water Quality

of combined weighted risk

State 32% · ▲ 23 pts

Most common flagWater quality trends toward MCL

Accessibility

of combined weighted risk

State 36% · – 0 pts

Most common flagNo intertie

Affordability

of combined weighted risk

State 17% · ▼ 13 pts

Most common flagHousehold socioeconomic burden

TMF Capacity

of combined weighted risk

State 15% · ▼ 9 pts

Most common flagTotal net annual income

Water Quality

Water Quality accounts for 55% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Water quality trends toward MCL appears in 8 of 15 assessed systems. Sources exceeding an MCL is next, appearing in 8 of 15 assessed systems.

Each indicator was assessed for 15 systems.

Accessibility

Accessibility accounts for 36% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. No intertie appears in 14 of 15 assessed systems. Limited water sources is next, appearing in 10 of 15 assessed systems.

Indicator denominators range from 14 to 15 assessed systems.

Affordability

Affordability accounts for 4% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Household socioeconomic burden appears in 3 of 15 assessed systems. Share of household income is next, appearing in 1 of 15 assessed systems.

Each indicator was assessed for 15 systems.

TMF Capacity

TMF Capacity accounts for 5% of the county’s combined weighted risk score. Total net annual income appears in 3 of 15 assessed systems. Operating ratio is next, appearing in 3 of 15 assessed systems.

Each indicator was assessed for 15 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 17 systems in Sutter County.

Status by system size

SAFER status within each population group

Among systems serving 500 people or fewer, 6 of 14 are Failing or At-Risk. The highest concentration occurs among systems serving 3,301 to 10,000, at 100%.

Economic context

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

DAC and SDAC service areas contain 15 of 17 listed systems. Within those two groups, 6 systems are Failing or At-Risk.

Conditions among Failing systems

A system can appear under more than one condition

Frequently listed primary analytes

Arsenic2
Nitrate1

Among 3 Failing systems, 3 report primary MCL violation. The most frequently listed primary analytes are Arsenic and Nitrate.

Reported funding

Totals since 2017 and number of systems reporting funding

Funding since 2017 totals $12M across 3 systems. Failing systems account for 66% of that total. Reported technical assistance funding adds $825K.

Key takeaways

41%

of systems are Failing or At-Risk

That represents 7 systems reporting service to 10,220 people. That is above the statewide average of 33%.

55%

of weighted risk comes from Water Quality

The most widespread individual flag is no intertie, found in 14 of 15 assessed systems. Statewide, Water Quality accounts for 32% of weighted risk.

82%

of systems serve 500 people or fewer

Small systems account for 14 of the county’s 17 listed systems. That is above the statewide average of 61%.