ANAHEIM, CA (February 26, 2007) -

The more than 35,000 water quality tests performed annually on Anaheim tap water are paying dividends and making headlines as the city’s drinking water was ranked the cleanest in Southern California in a Men’s Health magazine study published in the March 2007 issue.

The magazine examined the most recent data from 100 major U.S. cities on contaminant levels plus the number of EPA water-system violations from 1995 to 2005. Anaheim ranked 15th among all U.S. cities and finished higher in the survey than Riverside, San Diego and Los Angeles.

“Our performance in this survey is testimony to Anaheim Public Utilities’ commitment of delivering high-quality water to Anaheim residents and businesses,” said Don Calkins, assistant general manager/water services for Anaheim Public Utilities. “In fact, it has been a core responsibility for us for more than 125 years.”

The quality of water delivered to Anaheim customers is closely monitored through samples drawn from the Utilities’ own facilities and from customer locations throughout the city’s service area.

“These tests are in addition to thousands of tests conducted by our water suppliers,” Calkins said. “We test from more than 100 possible substances in our drinking water. All of these tests are designed to accomplish one goal, to be certain that your water consistently meets all the standards set for quality by state and federal regulations.”

According to Men’s Health magazine, its drinking water rankings were based on recent data regarding levels of arsenic, lead, haloacetic acids and total trihalomethanes, and total coliform bacteria, as well as the number of EPA violations for each water system from 1995-2005.

Anaheim’s water quality Web page is continually being updated with important information on a range of water quality issues. The most recent copy of Anaheim’s annual Water Quality Report may be accessed at www anaheim.net. Click on Public Utilities, then Focus on Water Quality under The Latest.