Your Water Report, Explained: What the Numbers Mean for Yerington Residents

Yerington NV – July 28, 2026

From City of Yerington Public Works Director Paul Shapiro:

To explain the Consumer Confidence Letter, let’s start with the lead and copper items:

  – Date: The span of time when the samples were taken (in this case, 2023–2025).

  – 90th Percentile: A statistical measure indicating that 90% of the data points fall below or equal to that value, while 10% are above it.

  – Range: The range of the lab results during this time period.

  – Unit: The unit in which the results are measured (in this case ppm or parts per million). 

  – AL: Action level this is the point where we need to take action to correct an issue 

 – Sites over Action Level: The number of sites if any that exceeded the action level (in this case 0 for Lead or Copper).

Next Section – Regulated contaminants:

 –  Date 

 – Highest Value: This is the highest value recorded during the 2023- 2025 time period 

 – Range : This is the range of the recorded values 

 – Unit : the measurement used, in this case ppb (parts per billion). 

 – MCL : This is the Maximum Contaminant Level. This is not a recorded lab sample; it is the maximum amount allowed under our permits and by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

 – MCLG : This is the Maximum Contaminant Goal. Since we are well under the MCL we meet and exceed this goal. 

The only issue in the next section was Combined Uranium which led to the rework of the California Well. Remember, this report covers 2023–2025: 

The final section includes What is called SMCL or State Maximum Contaminant Level. These are primarily Cosmetic issues and the only exceedance we experienced was an elevation in our pH level.24.

Our water occasionally has a sulfur odor. This is sometimes caused by an issue with the water heater in your home, however it can also occur naturally since this is groundwater pumped from a well. I find that if I run my water for a minute that odor quickly goes away. Just to better understand sulfur odor the human nose is very sensitive to it and can detect it at ranges as low as 0.0005 to 0.3 ppm or parts per million. 

I hope this helps everyone understand how to interpret this report. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to call or email me. 

Please complete those Lead and Copper surveys as soon as you can. I will actively request water samples from 20 different locations around town in the next few weeks. If you are willing to participate please call or email me.

Here is the complete Consumer Confidence REPORT in 2026 for the CALENDAR YEAR 2025:

Related Article:

Understanding Your City Utilities: Yerington, Nevada