Well, with all this talk about water quality in our town, I decided it was time to do a little research. My dad used to say, “Don’t confuse me with evidence, I’ve already made up my mind,” but a few facts can’t hurt.

At this point, the town is solidly and unalterably divided into two camps. There seems to be very little movement between the two and it looks as if this thing might come down to — horror of horrors — a vote of the people. Including the unwashed masses who simply don’t understand the scope of the problem.

There are those who claim our water tastes awful, is ruining all the appliances, and the whole system must be replaced immediately, if not sooner. This camp drinks bottled water exclusively and regards a city water bill as nothing more than a nuisance. These folks pay their water charges a year ahead of time just so the bills don’t clutter up the mailbox and confuse the household help.

The other camp of Davisites, primarily renters and underwater homeowners, think the water tastes fine, don’t own appliances fancy enough to get ruined by Davis water, and oppose the surface water project on cost alone. They simply can’t afford the increased rates.

For them, the argument stops there. If you can’t afford a new car, it doesn’t really matter how badly you might need one. These people never buy bottled water.

The second camp has not been fooled by the city’s 11th-hour head fake, whereby the proposed rate increase suddenly plunged after our esteemed leaders “rolled up their sleeves” and found some previously hidden cost savings. Like they weren’t supposed to be looking for cost savings all along?

No one believes that move was designed to do anything but diffuse and derail the growing enthusiasm for a referendum on the entire water project by trying to convince this town’s not-so-bright citizenry that the rate increases wouldn’t be so bad after all.

This is where the aforementioned facts come in.

I have in front of me a copy of the city of Davis’ “Annual Water Quality Report” for 2010. On the cover sheet the city notes that the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency plans to pump in Sacramento River water and “will aggressively seek state and federal funding to minimize the need for rate increases to support the project.” I wonder how all that aggression is working out for them.

The Annual Water Quality Report lists all kinds of substances that can be found in Davis water along with “regulatory limits,” and despite all the trash talking about our water source, I can’t find a single ounce of Davis water that exceeds those “regulatory limits” for anything.

Yes, there’s arsenic in Davis water, and barium, aluminum, selenium, radium, uranium, trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids and something called “Gross Alpha.” Now, I don’t know what Gross Alpha is, but I sure don’t want it in my drinking water.

There is a written warning, however. Notes the report: “The city of Davis is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using water for drinking or cooking.”

Now let me get this straight. On the one hand the city is telling me I can cut down on my water bill with the simple slogan of “conserve, conserve, conserve,” and on the other hand the city is telling me to run the tap for up to two minutes before boiling the Minute Rice.

For sure, no more drinks for the kids in the middle of the night.

We’re also warned that “Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in groundwater,” but hey, if it’s “natural,” it must be good for you, right?

“It may pose a health risk when the gas is released from water into air, as occurs during showering, bathing or washing dishes and clothes. Inhalation of radon has been linked to cancer; however, the effects of radon ingested in drinking water are not yet clear.”

Not to worry. We gave up showering, bathing and washing dishes and clothes right after our city water bill arrived in August.

We plan to have a radon-free household.

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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