23 (01)Date:3/24/2026 5:43:50 PM
From:"Stephanie Mercadante" burglin.stephanie@gmail.com
To:"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Residents Demand Clarity on Water Safety, PFAS, and Perchlorate Contamination
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachme nts unle ss you recognize the
sender and are expecting the message.
Councilmembers,
Do you, as Councilmembers, actually know without hesitation that Anaheim’s drinking water i s safe? Have you asked that
question recently? Because residents are paying attention, and they are documenti ng what they see.
In Anaheim Hills, people have recorded repeated hydrant flushing. Hydrant flushing can be normal when i t i s routi ne
maintenance. But when it happens right before water testing, it raises a different question. It raises the question of whether the
City is trying to clean out the system so the results look better than what residents dri nk every day.
Here is why this matters.
On September 17, 2025, a valve was opened 22 percent. On September 23, it was opened to about 50 percent. Openi ng a
valve like that pushes a huge amount of water through the pipes. That can temporari ly make the water appear cleaner, but i t
does not reflect normal conditions. Turbidity should be between .01 and .06. On September 23, it jumped to 3.2. That is not a
small difference. That is a sign that something is wrong.
So the public deserves a straight answer. Why was so much water flushed right before testing?
Was the City trying to influence the results? Or is Anaheim simply comfortable wasting hundreds of thousands of gallons of water
without explanation?
Then there is Well 51, which serves West Anaheim. The State notified the City that this well had elevated PFOS levels. PFOS is
part of the PFAS family. These are forever chemicals. They do not break down. They stay i n the soi l, they stay in the water, and
they stay in our bodies. They are linked to cancer and long‑term health problems.
Residents deserve to know when the City was notified, whether the well was shut down i mmedi ately, and whether the publi c was
told the truth or left drinking contaminated water without knowing it.
We also need to talk about perchlorates. These chemicals are used in rocket fuel, explosi ves, and fi reworks. They i nterfere with
the thyroid and can affect metabolism and child development. Anaheim’s own water data has shown elevated perchlorate levels
in certain areas. Fireworks fallout is a known source of perchlorate contamination. So when the City i nsi sts fi reworks are
harmless, yet perchlorates show up in the water, residents have every right to questi on that narrati ve.
And here is the part the City avoids.
Why are residents paying for the cleanup? Why are families and taxpayers covering the cost of PFAS and perchlorate
remediation while the companies that created the contamination are shielded from any real accountabili ty?
Forgive me for being facetious. We all know why. Those polluters are the people this City actually serves.
They get protection. Residents get the bill. This is the pattern.
When residents raise concerns, the City minimizes them. When data looks bad, the focus shifts to opti cs i nstead of soluti ons.
When transparency is needed, the public gets silence.
Before we hear another polished statement about rejecting the premise of the question, I wi ll leave you wi th thi s:
You and your families are drinking this water too.
This is not political. It is about safety.
Is the water safe or not? If it is safe, show the proof. If it is not, tell the truth.
Thank you.