According to the State Water Resources Control Board, around 913,000 California residents are affected by the 385 public water systems that are currently failing; this amounts to roughly 2% of the state’s population.
Not surprisingly, minorities and disadvantaged people are being affected disproportionately, with 56 of the systems serving “disadvantaged communities” and 67% serving “majority communities of color.” The report states that the failing water systems are largely found in areas with higher percentages of poverty and bigger households.
Water systems that are identified as “failing” do not provide “an adequate and reliable supply of drinking water which is at all times pure, wholesome, and potable,” according to the definition used by the water board.
They reported the highest concentration of failing water systems in Kern County. In many cases, outdated equipment, such as wells that have exceeded their usable life and have not been replaced, is to blame.
Dmitri Stanich, a spokesman for the state water board, told the Epoch Times: “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.”
In some cases, the water systems are in such poor shape that they exceed the maximum contaminant level for a manmade carcinogenic chemical known as 1,2,3-trichloropropane.
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The 385 failing systems are a notable rise over the 347 that were identified in the water board's 2022 report, when just 846,000 people's water was affected.
The report shows just how much the Golden State is failing in its efforts to ensure access for all Californians to safe drinking water. This was set in motion in 2012 by then-Governor Jerry Brown, who signed a bill into law that stated “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for cooking consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.”
Funding proposal won't do enough to fix water problem
There is some hope that the situation could improve thanks to a proposal that will be on the November ballot for a $10 billion environmental bond that will address water quality concerns, as well as air quality and wildfires. It would fund, among other initiatives, safer drinking water infrastructure and water resilience initiatives.
According to co-author Democrat Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, 40% of this bond would be allocated to disadvantaged communities. If it is approved, $3 billion will be allotted to developing safe drinking water systems.
However, a water quality advocacy group known as the Community Water Center said that it would take at least $15 billion to improve the state’s water infrastructure.
Community Water Center Policy and Legal Director Kyle Jones said: “It’s a moral outrage. It’s unconscionable in a state that has so many resources that we can’t ensure that everybody has access to the human right to water.
“Folks shouldn’t have to suffer health impacts or added cost to have access to something that most of us take for granted and can get daily.”
California has a money problem as residents flee the liberal-run state
However, with the state grappling with a multibillion-dollar deficit, the cost of repairing these systems could fall on local communities and even well owners, and given that many of these are located in poorer neighborhoods, those who are in the worst position to afford it will have to pay more for water.
While California tries to position itself as a climate leader and economic powerhouse, it is falling short in many ways, the fact that nearly a million people can’t even access safe drinking water is more proof that the state’s priorities and policies are not serving its people under Governor Gavin Newsom, who is now contending with a nearly $45 billion deficit and reduced revenue as people flee the liberal-run state for greener pastures.
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