Buyers should be aware that there are three primary sources of water within the greater Yuba City area.

Surface Water - This is clearly the most desireable water in the area. It comes from the Feather River and is naturally soft. It is then treated at the Yuba City water treatment plant before distribution.

Hillcrest Water - The Hillcrest Water Company was a privately held water company. It was purchased by the City of Yuba City which now operates and maintains it. The system is divided into two sub systems. Hillcrest 1 serves those residents East of Highway 99. Hillcrest 2/3 serves those residents West of Highway 99. The water comes from several wells located throughout the community. This water is inferior to surface water in at least a couple of respects. First, the water is very hard. Most recipients of this water treat it through the use of individual water softeners.

A second problem is that water from the old Hillcrest system does not meet the new Federal safety standard which mandates that drinking water contain less than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic. This new standard became effective January 23, 2006. It does meet the old safety standard which mandated that the arsenic level had to be less than 50 ppb.

For it's part, the City has been able to get the water to meet the new arsenic standards by chemically treating it with ferric chloride and potassium permanganate. However, this treatment is corrosive and will reduce the effective life of the pipes and other components in the system. It also reduces system capacity by approximatley 20% because of the extra load this places on the system's filters. This, then, is considered to be a temporary fix.

As the owner and operator of the old Hillcrest system, the City has said that it will make the necessary changes to bring the water into compliance with all Federal and State standards. It has also indicated that the cost of bringing it into compliance has to be born by the Hillcrest water system users.

Another problem is that the nitrate levels in the Hillcrest 2/3 system exceed safe standards. A short term fix to the nitrate problem was to abandon one well and to connect some of the homes in the Hillcrest 2/3 system to surface water.

The City has proposed various solutions to the problems of the Hillcrest 2/3 system. The least expensive of these alternatives is to connect users of the Hillcrest 2/3 system to the City's surface water system. For various reasons, there has been significant opposition from residents of the Hillcrest 2/3 system to the options proposed by the City.

In April of 2008, the City indicated through a mailer to Hillcrest Water users that it was willing to consider extending it's offer of surface water to the residents in the Hillcrest 1 system. It indicated that the cost to convert the Hillcrest 2/3 system to surface water will be about $4,000 per house. It also indicated that this amount can be reduced by about $400 per house if the users in the Hillcrest 1 system choose to convert to surface water at the same time. It seems obvious to me that the only logical solution is to connect to the City's surface water system.

One of the other issues involved is that many of the properties that receive their water from the old Hillcrest system are not located within the city limits. The City has a policy that it will not deliver surface water to properties outside the city limits. In the above referenced mailer, the City indicated that it will consider an exemption to this policy.

Home buyers should be aware that the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) makes no distinction between the two water systems. As a buyer, it is important that you investigate the source of water for any home you are considering purchasing. You should also keep in mind that there are a lot of very knowledgeable real estate agents who can help you in this process. However, there are also a lot of agents who are unfamiliar with this issue. We suggest that you take a few simple steps to find an honest and knowledgeable real estate agent.

Private Wells - Private wells are another source of water for homes in the greater Yuba City area. Water quality and safety can vary dramatically from property to property. Buyers considering the purchase of property served by a private well should insist that the seller provide, at a minimum, a well clearance for potability. High nitrate levels have also been a problem in some areas and we now know about the revised arsenic standards. Nitrate and arsenic levels can be tested for and we recommend that the water test should include these as well.

Make sure you know where your water will be coming from. You should contact the City of Yuba City if you want more information on this issue. You can view the 2006 Water Quality Report or contact John Westhouse, Water Treatment Plant Supervisor at (530) 822-4636.

Last Updated May 28, 2008