There are two water sources used as the University’s drinking water supply: surface water and groundwater.
The primary drinking water supply on campus is treated surface water from the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency. Raw surface water from the Sacramento River is treated at the Regional Water Treatment Facility in Woodland using treatment technologies including flash mixing, sand ballasted clarification, ozonation, granular media filtration, and chlorine addition for disinfection. The finished water is injected with chlorine and ortho-phosphate before it is delivered to the University's transmission line.
Five on-campus wells are also a critical part of the drinking water supply. These wells draw water from deep aquifers located 800 to 1,400 feet below the ground. The water is not treated, except for the addition of chlorine for disinfection.
Utilities staff continually monitor water quality and manage the distribution system to maintain the safety and reliability of our drinking water system.
View the latest Water Quality Report View the Service Line Material Inventory
How Does UC Davis Water Taste?
Taste is subjective, so opinions will vary from person to person. Some key indicators of the difference in taste between different water sources are Total Dissolved Solids, Specific Conductance, and Hardness. Lower numbers are often associated with water that is described as tasting good. A comparison of these three characteristics for other water supplies in our area is provided below.
Surface Water
| Source | Total Dissolved Solids (ppm) | Specific Conductance (μmhos/cm) | Hardness (ppb) |
| UC Davis | 120 (2017) | 203 (2017) | 55 (2017) |
| Sacramento | 82 (2016) | 126 (2016) | 51 (2016) |
| Woodland | 123 (2016) | 200 (2016) | 56 (2016) |
| Dixon | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Davis | 123 (2016) | 200 (2016) | 56 (2016) |
Groundwater
| Source | Total Dissolved Solids (ppm) | Specific Conductance (μmhos/cm) | Hardness (ppb) |
| UC Davis | 303 (2017) | 523 (2017) | 108 (2017) |
| Sacramento | 292 (2016) | 408 (2016) | 147 (2016) |
| Woodland | 521 (2016) | 904 (2016) | 384 (2016) |
| Dixon | 366 (2016) | 644 (2016) | 208 (2016) |
| Davis | 110 - 1500 (2016) | 511 (2016) | 143 (2016) |