Water & Sewer

This program provides installation and maintenance of the water distribution and transmission system and installs new domestic water connections, fire service connections, and fire hydrants. The division maintains the Mad River transmission line from Arcata to Eureka, reads all meters, and assists the Finance Department with the collection process. The division strives to protect and maintain water quality within the distribution system, tests and repairs City backflow prevention devices, and tests private backflow devices to ensure proper operation.

The City of Eureka's Water Quality Laboratory is certified by the California Department of Health Services Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program. The Water Quality Laboratory provides water and wastewater analysis including the routine sampling of the City's water distribution system and the wastewater treatment plant processes. The laboratory provides high-quality analytical results for water and wastewater matrices and generates data that is reported to various regulatory agencies. In addition, the lab performs some routine analyses for neighboring public agencies.

The Laboratory is certified in four fields of testing: microbiology of drinking water, inorganic chemistry of drinking water, the microbiology of wastewater, and inorganic chemistry of wastewater. To maintain certification, the analysts participate in proficiency testing sample analyses annually.

The Laboratory is located at the Elk River Wastewater Treatment Plant and is staffed 365 days of the year. The Water Quality Team is comprised of three full-time employees, two technicians, and a supervisor. The laboratory staff is certified as Laboratory Analysts through the California Water Environment Association Technical Certification Program. Tours of the lab can be arranged by contacting the Utilities Operations Division at 707-441-4361.