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30 (04) Susana Barrios From:Stephanie Mercadante <burglin.stephanie@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 5:15 PM To:Public Comment Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] On Behalf of Stephanie Mercadante, District 4, Councilmember Norma Campos Kurtz Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message. For public comment on April 21, 2026: Good evening, Mayor and Council Members, What we are hearing tonight is not just a technical discussion; it is a matter of public trust. Residents are being asked to rely on repeated assurances that the water is safe. But when timelines don’t align, when operational details are unclear, and when reasonable questions go unanswered, that trust erodes. So I want to be clear about what is being requested tonight. We are asking the City’s presentation to directly address:    The discrepancy between the February and March Well 51 shutdown dates     The decision not to take the well offline immediately after the State’s December notification     And whether operational practices — such as flushing — may influence sampling results, including whether  normal flushing times are five minutes rather than the 30–60 minutes residents have reported, and whether these practices are reviewed by anyone outside the City of Anaheim  These are not extreme questions. They are reasonable, and they deserve direct answers. Because when the information provided to the public does not fully align with regulatory data, it creates doubt, intentional or not. And once doubt is introduced, the burden shifts back to the City to provide clarity. There is also a broader concern. Residents are reporting chlorine odors, discoloration, and inconsistent water quality while being told the water is safe. Are these complaints being recorded and 1 tracked? Is that information available to the public? That gap between official messaging and lived experience is exactly why these questions matter. Claims of safety rely on testing, but testing only builds trust if it reflects normal conditions. So we are asking a straightforward question: do sampling results reflect what residents actually experience at the tap, or conditions influenced by system practices like flushing? And, just as importantly, has the State reviewed those practices to confirm they are representative, or are they simply accepting what they are told while residents’ concerns go unaddressed? If testing reflects best-case conditions instead of typical conditions, then the water isn’t safe in any meaningful sense. Here is the bottom line: If the water is safe, the data should be consistent. If the process is sound, it should be transparent. And if the City is confident in both, then these questions should be easy to answer. Clearly, directly, and on the record. Repeating that the water is safe is not enough. Holding up water bottles is not enough. Posting videos on social media is not enough. Provide a presentation that shows the proof, not pretty photos and charts. 2 Susana Barrios From:Stephanie Mercadante <burglin.stephanie@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, April 21, 2026 9:55 PM To:Public Comment Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Re: On Behalf of Dave Duran, District 1, Councilmember Ryan Balius Attachments:2026_04_20_23_02_07_1.mp3 Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message. Replying again on this thread to include the audio that was played during today's Public Comments. Please find it attached. On Tue, Apr 21, 2026 at 5:19 PM Stephanie Mercadante <burglin.stephanie@gmail.com> wrote: For public comment on April 21, 2026: th In case the public didn’t get a chance to hear and/or attend the March 24 City Council meeting, I believe it is important to listen to what the mayor is telling the public: PLAY RECORDING Thanks to tonight’s last few speakers, the mayor and the council have “again” learned that there are residents of this city that have been sounding an alarm of critical importance because the mayor and the council have ‘again” failed to do…So tonight, I want to document and let the public know that they should seriously consider having their Anaheim tap water tested for their personal safety…the safety of their family…their pets, and/or their employees since it’s evident that Anaheim officials have failed to properly take the necessary actions…which are probably required by law…to immediately notify its residents while taking the required actions to immediately mitigate imminent and/or potential harm to the public. I am asking the Anaheim residents, Anaheim business owners, and Anaheim employees to save and call this phone number to help make sure your drinking water is safe…For more information and or to share your concerns, please call the EPA - Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426- 4791…AGAIN, that’s 1-800-426-4791. On December 5, 2025 USA Today reported that analysis of the records shows water utilities in Anaheim California has joined 944 systems scattered across the country that have also failed to meet the EPA standards. The summary report stated: On average, PFOS was measured 4.5 times over the limit at Well 47. Altogether, testing detected seven chemicals at 12 locations. The highest single measurement was 7.3 times over the allowable limit. And according to the results found by the Environmental Protection Agency, (published in November 2025) Anaheim’s PFSA was well over the limit. 1 Well 51…Well 47…what other failed wells are missing from the report?....What else have Anaheim officials failed to be transparent about?...more important is how many residents have been harmed by the city’s silence? This city needs to publicly and immediately notify everyone…residents, schools, and businesses that were and are currently in jeopardy of suffering harm from being in contact and/or ingesting the potentially toxic city water. Please do not dismiss our genuine concerns, documented findings, or comments. In closing, if you are not motivated to take action to improve the health and safety of all the people who live, work, go to school, or visit Anaheim, please immediately resign so someone more qualified can replace you for the health, safety and betterment of society…OR…do what the residents of this city elected you to do because the public deserves to know the truth instead of being misinformed or lied to by the person they voted to represent them…. Are Disney lobbyists paying you or telling you to stay quiet about the toxic water so the tourists won’t decide to not go to Disneyland because the water isn’t safe to drink… or conventions and shows won’t want to plan or book hotels and/or events at the convention center…is this why the residents are being neglected, misinformed and/or or lied to?...Who do you believe the Environmental Protection Agency, USA Today, Anaheim’s own reports/findings or the mayor who either believes, is misinformed, or who is maliciously lying to the public stating that the water is safe… 2