Water Quality & Contamination

Clean, Safe Water You Can Trust

You should be able to turn on the faucet in your home and feel confident that the water your family drinks is clean, safe and carefully protected.

Water quality is not something Santa Clarita families should ever have to question. It requires constant testing, responsible planning, modern treatment systems and experienced leadership that understands how to respond when a problem is found.

For Ken Petersen, protecting the quality of our drinking water is one of the most important responsibilities of an SCV Water Agency board member.

Meeting the Standard Is Only the Beginning

SCV Water reports that the water delivered to local customers continues to meet standards established by the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water and other regulatory agencies. The agency maintains an ongoing testing and water-supply protection program and provides residents with an annual Consumer Confidence Report explaining what is found in their water.

Ken believes meeting these requirements is the starting point—not the finish line.

Protecting our water means continually watching for new threats, testing local wells, responding quickly when contamination is discovered and investing in the treatment facilities needed to keep unsafe water from entering the public water system.

Taking Action Against PFAS and
Other Contamination

Some of Santa Clarita’s local groundwater wells have been affected by PFAS, volatile organic compounds and other contaminants.

PFAS are a group of long-lasting chemicals that can remain in the environment for many years. When tests find unsafe contaminant levels in a well, that well may need to be removed from service until effective treatment is installed.

Taking wells out of service protects public health, but it can also reduce the amount of local groundwater available to our community. That is why treating affected wells is important for both water quality and water-supply reliability.

SCV Water has invested in treatment technology that removes PFAS from local groundwater. The agency has also developed its own state-certified PFAS testing capabilities, helping it receive results more quickly while saving testing time and money.

Ken Has Helped Move Water-Treatment Projects Forward

Ken’s record includes supporting and helping authorize major projects that treat contaminated groundwater before it reaches local homes and businesses.

T and U Wells PFAS Treatment

In June 2025, Ken made the motion authorizing a financing agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board for the T and U Wells PFAS Treatment Project and improvements to treat volatile organic compounds at Saugus Wells 1 and 2.

The motion passed, allowing the agency to move forward with treatment and disinfection improvements designed to return affected local wells to safe operation. The agency now lists the T and U Wells PFAS and Saugus Wells treatment facility as completed in 2026.

S Wells PFAS Treatment Facility

In August 2025, Ken voted to approve construction, inspection, material testing and engineering support for the S Wells PFAS Treatment and Disinfection Facility.

The project is designed to treat groundwater from additional wells affected by PFAS and restore another important part of Santa Clarita’s local water supply.

These were actions taken by the full SCV Water Board and carried out by the agency’s professional staff. Ken’s responsibility was to study the projects, examine their costs and technical requirements, and help authorize the funding and contracts needed to move them forward.

Experience That Matters When Water Quality Is at Risk

Water contamination is a technical, financial and public-health issue. Decisions must be based on science, engineering, careful testing and a clear understanding of how water systems operate.

Ken is a registered California professional civil engineer with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering. He has served as a water-district general manager, a regulated water-utility general manager and engineering and operations manager for the former Castaic Lake Water Agency.

As general manager of Valencia Water Company, Ken helped oversee a water system serving approximately 31,000 connections in Newhall, Saugus, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch and Castaic. His responsibilities included water-system operations, maintenance, budgets, capital improvements and long-term planning.

Today, Ken chairs the SCV Water Agency’s Finance and Administration Committee and serves on its Engineering and Operations Committee. These assignments allow him to examine both the technical side of water-treatment projects and the financial decisions required to build, operate and maintain them.

Protecting Your Water from the Source to the Tap

Keeping Santa Clarita’s drinking water safe requires more than testing the water after it enters the distribution system. It requires protecting the entire process.

Ken remains focused on:

Frequent testing of wells, treatment facilities and the water-distribution system.
Immediate action when a harmful contaminant is detected.
Removing affected wells from service until the water can be properly treated.
Building treatment facilities that restore safe local groundwater supplies.
Public reporting so residents know what is in their water.
Careful oversight of treatment costs, contracts and agency budgets.
Long-term protection of the Santa Clarita Valley groundwater basin.

Safe Water Today. Protected Water for the Future.

Water-quality problems do not solve themselves. They require experienced people who understand the science, the infrastructure and the financial decisions behind a large public water system.

Ken Petersen has spent his career working with water systems and helping communities plan for their future. On the SCV Water Agency Board, he has supported real treatment projects that protect drinking water, restore affected wells and help preserve Santa Clarita’s local water supply.

Because every family deserves to know that the water coming from the tap is safe, clean and carefully protected.