New polling numbers confirm the public’s high level of concern about drinking water quality and support for safe drinking water in California.
And 80 percent believe water agencies are responsible for ensuring safe drinking water for California communities.
But despite strong public awareness and concern we have failed to address this most tragic and unacceptable water problem: Upward of 1 million Californians do not have access to safe drinking water.
Even worse, there are nearly 300,000 Californians who have been without safe drinking water for decades.
During the depth of the recent drought, state and national media reported on several rural communities with wells that ran dry, leaving people without access to running water.
Every Californian should have access to safe, affordable drinking water and water users must be a part of the solution.
Senate Bill 623 has been introduced in the state legislature to create a safe and affordable drinking water fund that would help eliminate this problem.
The recent polling shows that 69 percent of the public supports paying an additional $1 per month to assure safe drinking water for everyone.
During the first hearing of the bill, hundreds of residents brought bottles of contaminated water up to Sacramento and asked for their elected representatives to support a safe drinking water fund or drink the water that comes out of their taps – yet, many in the water community stood in opposition, without offering any real alternative solutions.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Water Deeply.