The epicenter of the state’s drinking water catastrophe is in the San Joaquin Valley, where 200,000 people have struggled to obtain clean, safe water for decades.
Across California more than 1.5 million people rely on drinking water from a community system that has a water quality violation that could impact public health, according to an estimate by the state using 2015 data.
A further 166,000 people are connected to nearly 1,000 water systems serving just 75 to 300 people each.
“Small community water systems typically lack the infrastructure and economies of scale of larger water systems, and in some cases cannot afford to treat or find alternative supplies for a contaminated drinking water source,” an SWRCB report found.
There are 310,000 people living in 525 low-income, unincorporated communities in the San Joaquin Valley where water quality problems are common.
Seville, Quintana’s hometown, was among those listed.
But it’s a water system designed to feed the farms of the valley and the cities of southern California, not the region’s rural communities.
Lucy Hernandez lives in West Goshen in Tulare County, a community where the water is contaminated by high levels of nitrate.
“We’ve always had these problems.
But the more people you get involved, other communities, you have a bigger voice and people do listen.” In tiny Tombstone Territory, Carolina Garcia dreams of connecting her home’s water to the town of Sanger next door.

Keeping kids hydrated this summer.
It also signals the season of frolic and fun for kids who are eager to explore the outdoors, unaware of the dangers of the intense heat.
With this in mind, she recommends that the family should practise replacing juice with water at some meals.
Water should always be available “Water should be readily available.
Make sure that children can always access good drinking water at all times,” Dr Griffith advised.
She said this can easily be done by placing colourful cups and water containers around the house and play areas.
She explained that this allows children to be able to sip at intervals and not wait until they are thirsty to try and find sources of water.
Also, when no water is available, it often means having to choose less favourable alternatives such as sodas and drinks.
Water challenge Kids love competitions, and even if there are no other children around, you can be their competitor.
“Encourage water intake by making a game of it among children.

Keeping kids hydrated this summer.
It also signals the season of frolic and fun for kids who are eager to explore the outdoors, unaware of the dangers of the intense heat.
With this in mind, she recommends that the family should practise replacing juice with water at some meals.
Water should always be available “Water should be readily available.
Make sure that children can always access good drinking water at all times,” Dr Griffith advised.
She said this can easily be done by placing colourful cups and water containers around the house and play areas.
She explained that this allows children to be able to sip at intervals and not wait until they are thirsty to try and find sources of water.
Also, when no water is available, it often means having to choose less favourable alternatives such as sodas and drinks.
Water challenge Kids love competitions, and even if there are no other children around, you can be their competitor.
“Encourage water intake by making a game of it among children.

Rather, East, whose district encompasses the small towns of Avenal and Kettleman City on the San Joaquin Valley’s west side, is worried about the safety of the water that the 2,700 students in his school district are being given to drink.
That’s because arsenic levels in the drinking water at some schools in the San Joaquin Valley exceed the maximum federal safety levels by as much as three times.
But in the San Joaquin Valley and other rural regions of California, residents either rely on private wells or small districts that lack the funds and infrastructure to treat contaminated drinking water.
Over the coming years this money will be used to install safe water systems in schools in disadvantaged communities.
They began talking to me about poor water quality – higher levels of arsenic and fertilizers.” In 2008 the United States Environmental Protection Agency cited Arvin Community Services District, which provides drinking water for the city and schools, for exceeding the maximum contaminant level for arsenic.
Dave Wallis, the technical services program manager at RCAC, says the group has helped install more than 170 filters in the Arvin area since 2015, including in six schools in three local school districts that serve nearly 6,000 students.
Since then, student attendance in Arvin’s schools has gone up, McClean says, and she believes annual physical fitness test results for students have also improved as fewer students have been drinking only sodas and more have begun drinking water on a regular basis.
“It’s great having the kids get the water they like to drink, and it’s helping out the overall health of everybody down there,” says Wallis.
For years, locals in Avenal have shied away from tap water – even before they knew about unsafe levels of disinfectant byproducts – bemoaning its taste and its rusty appearance, and digging into what little money they had to buy five-gallon jugs of bottled water, according to East.
Although food in Avenal schools is still cooked in the cafeteria with bottled water, over the past year, using grant money provided by a local agricultural produce company – the Wonderful Company – schools have installed point-of-use water fountains.

Rather, East, whose district encompasses the small towns of Avenal and Kettleman City on the San Joaquin Valley’s west side, is worried about the safety of the water that the 2,700 students in his school district are being given to drink.
That’s because arsenic levels in the drinking water at some schools in the San Joaquin Valley exceed the maximum federal safety levels by as much as three times.
But in the San Joaquin Valley and other rural regions of California, residents either rely on private wells or small districts that lack the funds and infrastructure to treat contaminated drinking water.
Over the coming years this money will be used to install safe water systems in schools in disadvantaged communities.
They began talking to me about poor water quality – higher levels of arsenic and fertilizers.” In 2008 the United States Environmental Protection Agency cited Arvin Community Services District, which provides drinking water for the city and schools, for exceeding the maximum contaminant level for arsenic.
Dave Wallis, the technical services program manager at RCAC, says the group has helped install more than 170 filters in the Arvin area since 2015, including in six schools in three local school districts that serve nearly 6,000 students.
Since then, student attendance in Arvin’s schools has gone up, McClean says, and she believes annual physical fitness test results for students have also improved as fewer students have been drinking only sodas and more have begun drinking water on a regular basis.
“It’s great having the kids get the water they like to drink, and it’s helping out the overall health of everybody down there,” says Wallis.
For years, locals in Avenal have shied away from tap water – even before they knew about unsafe levels of disinfectant byproducts – bemoaning its taste and its rusty appearance, and digging into what little money they had to buy five-gallon jugs of bottled water, according to East.
Although food in Avenal schools is still cooked in the cafeteria with bottled water, over the past year, using grant money provided by a local agricultural produce company – the Wonderful Company – schools have installed point-of-use water fountains.

CHITRAL: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PIT) chief Imran Khan said on Tuesday that Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar wears an innocent look after theft.
“Did someone look at the face of Ishaq Dar yesterday?
Big thieves are being investigated and held accountable for the first time in the history of the country," he told the participants of the inaugural ceremony of the Lawi hydel power project near Drosh in Chitral.
The PTI General Secretary Jehangir Khan Tareen, provincial Minister for Irrigation Shah Farman, Minister for Energy and Education Muhammad Atif and Member Provincial Assembly Bibi Fauzia were present on the occasion.
Imran Khan said that drinking water and electricity were the two big problems faced by the people, adding that unfortunately Pakistan ranked high among the countries where children die due to contaminated water.
Claiming credit for establishing 73 new power supply schemes in the remote mountainous district of Chitral, Imran said that successive governments could only construct 175 water supply schemes in Chitral after the independence of Pakistan.
He said the successive governments did not concentrate on hydel power projects and instead turned to coal-powered power projects for their commission.
He said that China had shut down its 16 coal power plants due to its negative impact on the environment and its health hazards but unfortunately the federal government was constructing coal-powered plants in the country.
He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had established 55 mini hydel power projects in Chitral to provide relief to the local people.
Earlier, Shah Farman said that the 69MW Lawi hydel power project would be completed in five years with an estimated cost of Rs20.8 billion.

Government of Canada, Government of Alberta and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Working in Partnership to Improve Water Infrastructure.
Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, along with the Honourable Richard Feehan, Alberta Minister of Indigenous Relations joined Chief Tony Alexis of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation to announce the construction of a new regional water line and water infrastructure ensuring a safe and secure water supply for the community now and into the future.
This project is part of the Canada’s commitment of $1.8 billion over five years for water and wastewater.
The Alberta government is investing $7.15 million to complete the Alexis Nakota Sioux water tie-in project connecting the regional water system to the reserve.
This project is part of Alberta’s $100 million commitment over four years to ensure Alberta First Nations have access to clean and safe drinking water.
We are proud to work in partnership with the Government of Alberta and the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, to implement a long-term solution that will support the health and wellbeing of the community.
Healthy water means healthy families and healthy communities which is what all people living in Alberta deserve."
"It’s evident that our natural water source is at risk and a water line would be essential to help protect this precious resource for future generations.
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Panama case JIT making history Chitral Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday said that for the first time in the history of Pakistan ‘big dacoits’ were being held accountable.
Khan said that the PML-N leaders after looting preset to be innocent and naïve.
Regarding PML-N’s objections on summoning Maryam Nawaz by the JIT, Imran said that while objecting to the summon why the PML-N leaders forget Benazir Bhutto whom they dragged to courts.
He added that providing clean and safe drinking water was the responsibility of the government.
‘Now the princess (Maryam) has been summoned and they are making a huge hue and cry.
Have you forgotten about Benazir Bhutto?’ he asked.
This is extremely shameful for us.
This is the right of the people.
‘Our future is dependent on hydroelectricity.
Referring to clean drinking water, the PTI chief said Shah Farman, provincial minister has now started delivering and the PKP government has made 55 micro hydel projects in Chitral as against the target of more than 200.

“We, the women shoulder the burden of collecting and carrying water for domestic use, and sometime for weak animals during extreme drought,” Caroline, who hails from Kibatat village, some 4 km from Lake Solai, told IDN through a translator..”When hand-dug wells dry up, we are forced to walk hours to collect water.” Diana Mutai is 43-years-old and ever since she was a little girl, it has been her chore to fetch water for the family.
I did not get back home until afternoon.
Now, through the intervention of non-state actors, mostly international non-governmental organisations like World Vision Kenya (WVK), a significant number of women and girls in rural Kenya can access water not only at a safe distance, but also water that is clean and potable.
To alleviate the risks that women like Diana face in collecting water in Solai, has WVK built a 192-element solar panel balanced precariously atop a metal supported roof that can pump water from a 180 metre-deep borehole.
“When we dug this borehole, at first we were for generator-set powered water pumps but we realised it would be costly,” said Njehia.
River Tana is the country’s longest river which reaches the Indian Ocean and is a source of livelihood to some eight million people living along its course.
Peter Ndegwa of St Joseph Church in Wenje Parish says the 21kilowatt solar powered borehole has spared the community, especially women and girls, the long distance walked to the river and reduced the risks of women being attacked by predators.
“Here, women have been trekking about 15 km to fetch water from crocodile-infested River Tana.
According to the Crocodile Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) involved in conservation of 23 species of alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials in the wild, the incidence of crocodilian attacks in many countries is very difficult to quantify because “many more people are attacked than is reported, as many attacks occur in remote areas.” “With the clean water which is available now at the homestead, our women and girls do not risk attack from crocodiles or other predators.
[IDN-InDepthNews – 2 July 2017] Photo: In the rural areas of Kenya, the burden of collecting, carrying and managing water (often contaminated) has always rested on the shoulders of women.

Another Voice: Local governments fail to protect water.
By Ronald Fraser “The government closest to the people serves the people best.” So goes a popular myth.
With their drinking water supply at risk from construction of National Fuel’s proposed Northern Access natural gas pipeline, how well have Southtown governments served their residents?
These communities, warned the EPA, “Are entirely dependent upon groundwater for their drinking water supply.
Not the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington.
Its denial of a required water quality permit is based on the pipeline’s unacceptable damage to 192 state-regulated streams and wetlands habitats along the pipeline’s route – without any mention of risks to the aquifer.
National Fuel is challenging the permit denial in court.
How about the towns and villages?
Why have they not: • Called upon National Fuel to relocate its proposed pipeline out of the aquifer zone.
• Passed resolutions to publicly place responsibility on National Fuel for future damage to the aquifer resulting from the construction and operation of the pipeline.