Nearly 400 public water systems in California have failed to meet recommended safety standards for drinking water, according to a report last month from the State Water Resources Control Board, but a new climate bond measure recently joined the state’s November ballot may help.
The water board defines a failing water system as one that does not provide “an adequate and reliable supply of drinking water which is at all times pure, wholesome, and potable.”
The report provided an example of two water systems where they found both exceeded the maximum contaminant level for 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a man-made carcinogenic chemical sometimes found in hazardous wastes.
Failing water system areas tend to have a “higher percentage of households in poverty” and are mostly larger households, according to the report.
The highest concentration of failing water systems is in Kern County, for example, where small water systems and domestic wells are already located in areas with a “high risk” of contamination and water shortages.
Rural and disadvantaged areas are hardest hit by water quality problems, and it’s an issue that ultimately comes down to poor planning, according to Don Wright, the founder of the agricultural water policy news site WaterWrights.
Mr. Wright called it a “failure of zoning management” and said places like that were “not designed to be municipalities.”
Many of the failures of these small water systems are simply the result of outdated equipment. Wells may often exceed their usable life and need to be replaced with new ones, he said.
Mr. Wright also pointed out that some of the chemicals found during water testing were the result of nature. “Arsenic is naturally occurring in the soil [in the valley],” he said.
“Farmers don’t fertilize with arsenic, these things happen naturally,” he stated.
Echoing the concerns of Mr. Wright, state water board’s spokesman Dmitri Stanich told The Epoch Times there is a “multitude of reasons small systems can fail” as many of them are out of date without outside water sources or adequate resources for proper maintenance.
“Smaller and rural systems are at most risk of failing as they typically do not have the resources to mitigate contamination incursion, cannot maintain their systems to needed technological standards, nor do they have alternative sources of water,” he said.
Earlier this month, California lawmakers passed a proposal to place on the November ballot a $10 billion environmental bond addressing water, wildfire, and air quality concerns. According to experts, it could be a step toward a solution to water problems plaguing the state.
If approved by voters, the bond would fund safe drinking water infrastructure, climate solutions, flood and water resilience initiatives, and clean air programs, its co-author Democrat Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Garcia called the bond “historic” because it allocates 40 percent to disadvantaged communities.
The largest concentration of failing water systems in California is in Kern County in the Bakersfield region, with 58.
The Kern County Health Department declined to comment on the report.
Madera County, near Fresno, has the highest proportion of systems on the verge of failing whereas Bay Area counties like San Francisco and Alameda have the least.
They told The Epoch Times July 9 the funding was “not on par with the needs outlined by [the board]” but was nevertheless“crucial” for communities.
Representatives for advocacy groups declined to comment after the climate bond was approved for the ballot.
