Buena Park Water Quality Report

WHERE DOES BUENA PARK’S CITY WATER COME FROM?

Orange County’s water supplies are a blend of groundwater managed by OCWD and water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River by the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) via MWDSC. Groundwater comes from a natural underground aquifer that is replenished with water from the Santa Ana River, local rainfall and imported water. The groundwater basin is 350 square miles and lies beneath north and central Orange County from Irvine to the Los Angeles County border and from Yorba Linda to the Pacific Ocean. More than 20 cities and retail water districts draw from the basin to provide water to homes and businesses

ARE THERE CONTAMINANTS IN BUENA PARKS’S CITY WATER?

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the
the surface of the land or through the layers of the ground it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animal and human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source water include:

Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment

plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and

wildlife.

Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or be the result of oil and gas production or mining activities.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining and farming.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gasoline stations, urban stormwater runoff, agricultural application, and septic systems

SHOULD I DRINK AND BATHE WITH BUENA PARK’S CITY WATER STRAIGHT FROM MY FAUCET?

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised people, such as those with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have had organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly persons and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

The USEPA and the federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from USEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in California)- source: 2017 Buena Park consumer confidence report.

http://www.buenapark.com/home/showdocument?id=16396

Click here to find out the water quality of other cities in Southern California

HISTORY OF BUENA PARK

In 1783 California belonged to Spain, and Pedro Fages was the Governor of this part of the country. He was given permission from the King of Spain to make land grants in California, and gave one such piece of land to Manuel Nieto, ex-corporal of the “Leather Jacket” guards of the Portola Expedition. This piece of land extended from the San Gabriel River to the Santa Ana River, and from the ocean to the road, from San Gabriel Mission.

In 1834 Manuel Nieto’s land was divided into five ranchos. One of the five ranchos was named Rancho Los Coyotes and totaled 48,806 acres. Buena Park is located near the center of this rancho.

Rancho Los Coyotes is a center of California and American history, for it was here in January 1847, that Commodore Robert S. Stockton and his band of Americans rested in preparation for the battle of the San Gabriel River. The battle was won and the outcome of the Mexican War (1846-48) was settled in this area. The exact location of Stockton’s encampment is historically marked near the Los Coyotes Country Club in the Bellehurst area of Buena Park.

In 1885, James A. Whitaker, a wholesale grocer from Chicago, bought 690 acres of the Stearns Rancho, part of what was once the sprawling Rancho Los Coyotes. Whitaker intended to create a cattle ranch, but Santa Fe Railway officials convinced him to use the land for a new town. Whitaker filed his township papers in 1887 in Los Angeles County – Orange County had not been formed – to create the town of Buena Park. The City was not incorporated until 1953.

Buena Park first became known as a dairy center, and both the Sante Fe and Southern Pacific railroads built depots. The Lily Creamery started operations in Buena Park in 1889. With the exception of a few wineries, the creamery was the first industry in the city.

Today, the City’s main claim to fame is as the home of the popular E-Zone or Entertainment Zone.

Located on and around Beach Boulevard south of the 91 Freeway the E-Zone is home to such exciting attractions as Knotts Berry Farm, Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, Knotts soak city and the swashbuckling Pirates dinner show

For more information on local history and Whitaker-Jaynes Estate tour information, visit the Buena Park Historical Society’s website.