Disparities in Drinking Water Manganese Concentrations in Domestic Wells and Community Water Systems in the Central Valley, CA, USA

Abstract

Over 1.3 million Californians rely on unmonitored domestic wells. Existing probability estimates of groundwater Mn concentrations, population estimates, and sociodemographic data were integrated with spatial data delineating domestic well communities (DWCs) to predict the probability of high Mn concentrations in extracted groundwater within DWCs in California’s Central Valley. Additional Mn concentration data of water delivered by community water systems (CWSs) were used to estimate Mn in public water supply. We estimate that 0.4% of the DWC population (2342 users) rely on groundwater with predicted Mn > 300 μg L-1. In CWSs, 2.4% of the population (904 users) served by small CWSs and 0.4% of the population (3072 users) served by medium CWS relied on drinking water with mean point-of-entry Mn concentration >300 μg L-1. Small CWSs were less likely to report Mn concentrations relative to large CWSs, yet a higher percentage of small CWSs exceed regulatory standards relative to larger systems. Modeled calculations do not reveal differences in estimated Mn concentration between groundwater from current regional domestic well depth and 33 m deeper. These analyses demonstrate the need for additional well-monitoring programs that evaluate Mn and increased access to point-of-use treatment for domestic well users disproportionately burdened by associated costs of water treatment.