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‘We can’t make it rain’: California farmers left out to dry as US government allots no water

Officials are preparing for yet another critical water year in California as the state – along with most of the American west – remains mired in drought.

The chemical 1,2,3-TCP was used to farm in the Central Valley from the 1940s through the 1980s. Dangerous remnants continue to poison local drinking water.

On the dusty outskirts of Bakersfield, Rosa Perez and her family are living without a basic housing amenity — clean water. Though they pay the water bill each month, what comes out of the taps is laced with a chemical that California admits could make the family of four more likely to develop cancer. Perez, 43, would rather spend some of her meager farmworker income on bottled water than see that come to pass.

COVID-19 makes clear the need for private and public investment in local water systems

As rates increase to support clean drinking water, there are significant, valid concerns around water affordability.

Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools

Global school closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic affect up to 1.6 billion children and present an unprecedented risk to their education and wellbeing.

Waiting for water: On the Navajo Nation, long lines, scarce resources, a cry for solutions

Many on the Navajo Nation don't have running water. The coronavirus adds urgency to efforts to build infrastructure, but solutions will be costly.

In South LA., oil wells owned by the archdiocese were making people sick long before the coronavirus

The 21 oil wells down the street from Marco Sanchez front door are named after one of the 12 apostles.

State water board must act to protect the Bay-Delta and California’s fishing industry

State law requires the board to protect all aspects of the Bay-Delta estuary, including wildlife habitat, fishing, drinking water quality and more.

How Much Water Do We Really Need To Drink?

The humble liquid comprises about 60% of our body weight and allows our internal organs to perform at their best.

Trump is fuming about California water. A federal judge just gave him another reason to vent

President Donald Trump has been an eager fighter in California’s water wars. As a presidential candidate, he vowed to bring more water to San Joaquin Valley farmers during a rally in Fresno.

Six Places Where Oceans, Rivers And Marine Life Have Rebounded During The Coronavirus Pandemic

The vibrancy with which the planet has rebounded to the global lockdowns (covering half the world’s population), has revealed how resilient wildlife is, and how quickly nature can recover if given a break.

Segregation and local funding gaps drive disparities in drinking water

As droughts become more frequent and intense, the fragmentation of water service in the U.S. among tens of thousands of community systems

For Californians Without Water Access, Coronavirus Adds Another Layer of Struggle

As Californians shelter at home amid the COVID-19 outbreak, an estimated 1 million of them lack access to clean drinking water, largely in rural parts of the state.

A Lot Of You Had Questions About Coronavirus In The Water. We Have Some Answers.

The coronavirus pandemic is so new to us that things that seemed so certain — like the safety of our water supply — are suddenly raising questions.

COVID-19 Update: Coronavirus Reportedly Found In Sewage In Surprisingly High Levels

Wastewater-based epidemiology might be an effective way to track the disease in a particular population since the deadly novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was found in the feces of those who tested positive.

Everyone needs their lead pipes replaced, not just those who can afford it

Across the country, over 9 million homes still get their drinking water through a lead pipe.

California Water Board: Don’t flush disinfecting wipes down toilet

Sanitizing is on everyone's mind these days because of the coronavirus pandemic, but don't flush those disinfecting wipes and paper towels down the toilet.

Rising waters threaten wells, drinking water systems

Four out of the five Great Lakes set water level records for February, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Arsenic In Drinking Water Damages Hearts Of Young Adults, Study Says

Young adults free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease developed heart damage after only five years of exposure to low-to-moderate levels of arsenic commonly found in groundwater.

5 Stunning Facts About Clean Water You Must Know

Water is incredibly, astonishingly precious. Water allows us to stay hydrated and quench our thirst. Water allows us to clean our bodies and maintain proper hygiene.

California schools must eliminate lead in water, but what about nearby homes?

California authorities are addressing the problem of lead in drinking water at public schools through a statewide program to test pipes and upgrade plumbing, but experts warn the threat goes well beyond schools

PFAS Containmination of Tap Water Far More Prevalent Than Previoulsly Reported

New laboratory test commissioned by EWG have for the first time found the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS in the dirnking wáter of dozens of U.S. cities, including major metropolitian areas

The Coming National Water-Quality Crisis

New California testing guidelines that take effect this month are expected to reveal widespread groundwater contamination from the chemicals associated with Teflon.

Fecal bacteria at record levels in some California waterways

Despite investing $1.75 billion to increase California’s housing supply last year, the state’s homeless population increased.

EPA says new testing will expand number of PFAS measured in drinking water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency validated new testing methods Thursday to measure the presence of widespread contaminates called PFAS in the nation's drinking water.

Water chief praises Colorado River deal

States in the U.S. West that have agreed to begin taking less water next month from the drought-stricken Colorado River got praise and a push for more action Thursday from the nation’s top water official.

When it comes to access to clean water, 'race is still strongest determinant,' report says

When it comes to access to safe potable water, “race is still the strongest determinant," according to a recent report that found that more than 2 million people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico don't have access to running water and basic indoor plumbing.

Cancer-Linked Contaminants Found In CA Drinking Water: Report

Most Americans don't think twice about drinking a glass of water. A report released Wednesday, though, found more than 270 harmful contaminants in local drinking water across the nation, including California.

Klamath River Tribes in Crisis as Salmon Disappear

An ecological disaster is spawning a cultural crisis in the hills and valleys of the Klamath River and its tributaries.

Firefighting foam leaves toxic legacy in Californians’ drinking water

It was a Sunday tradition at Bethany Slavic Missionary Church. After morning services, Florin Ciuriuc joined the line of worshipers waiting to fill their jugs with gallons of free drinking water from a well on the property, a practice church leaders had encouraged.

Hundreds of wells are contaminated across California. Find out where

Nearly 300 wells and other sources of drinking water across California contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, developmental issues in infants, and harm to the liver and immune system.

New Drinking Water Report: Communities of Color More Likely to Suffer Drinking Water Violations For Years

Race bears the strongest relationship to slow and ineffective enforcement of the federal drinking water law in communities across the nation, according to a new report released today.

PFAS toxins found in drinking water throughout Southern California

Wells of nearly two dozen Southern California water agencies have reportable levels of PFAS, a chemical family increasingly linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low fertility, low birth weight and ulcerative colitis.

Hundreds Of California Schools Haven’t Released Results Of Water Testing For Lead

This summer, we reported that one out of five California schools found detectable levels of lead in drinking water, but we also told you, hundreds of schools still hadn’t reported the required lead test results.

Is Your Drinking Water Safe? Are You So Sure?

The United States boasts some of the cleanest tap water in the world thanks to a slate of laws — notably the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 —sthat set standards for permissible levels of pollution.

Contaminated tap water could lead to 100,000 cases of cancer in the US if people drink it their whole lives. Here's how worried you should be

A study from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found that contaminants in US drinking water could lead to nearly 100,000 cases of cancer among people who drink it for a lifetime.

Lack of drinkable water continues to threaten Florence victims

As North Carolina continues to recover from the devastation and flooding caused by Hurricane Florence, many residents lack access to clean drinking water.

Dam breach at Duke Energy plant sparks new concerns of contamination in North Carolina

Prior to Hurricane Florence’s arrival in the Carolinas, concerns were raised about the environmental and health risks of the storm. There was fear that torrential rain may flood power plants, industrial sites or animal-manure lagoons, causing toxic waste to threaten drinking water.

More than 2 billion people lack safe drinking water. That number will only grow.

Freshwater is crucial for drinking, washing, growing food, producing energy and just about every other aspect of modern life. Yet more than 2 billion of Earth’s 7.6 billion inhabitants lack clean drinking water at home, available on demand.

Less than half of US school districts test drinking water for lead: Report

Only 43 percent of school districts in the United States test for lead in drinking water used by students in 2016 or 2017, according to a federal government report released Tuesday.

Lead contamination in schools’ drinking water: worse than previously thought

Lead contamination in our schools is more pervasive than previously thought, according to water testing data from 20 states published in a national interactive map by Environment America and U.S. PIRG.

This Device Pulls Water Out of Desert Air

Droughts have been making headlines across the world in recent years, from the California water crisis to Cape Town’s severe water shortage, and research suggests 25 percent of the globe could eventually be left in permanent drought due to climate change. But what if you could simply pull water from the air?

How wildfires contaminate drinking water sources

Wildfires can contaminate nearby streams and watersheds through mobilization of sediments, nutrients and dissolved organic matter, straining the capabilities of downstream municipal treatment facilities, a new report co-authored by CU Boulder researchers shows.

Contaminated water systems in Cenla can lead to crisis similar to Flint

Seven of the 10 most distressed water systems in the state are in Central Louisiana, according to the governor's Rural Water Infrastructure Committee.

Bottled Water and the Damage Done: Coping With Plastic Pollution

Bottled water beats out soda as the best-selling U.S. beverage, but that popularity spotlights the environmental costs of so many plastic bottles being used once and then tossed aside.

100,000 Residents In Bountiful Central Valley Still Lack Access to Clean Water

Cristobal Chavez has every reason to believe that for 11 years, he and his family were drinking water containing four times the legal limit of nitrate, a possible carcinogen. He moved to his current residence – a 20-acre ranch in rural Tulare County, a few miles outside the town of Porterville, California, – in 2003. In 2014, he had his well tested, and a lab analysis revealed that the water was essentially undrinkable.

Environmental Justice Coalition Calls on California State Lands Commission to Adopt Fair, Inclusive, and Equitable Policies

The Environmental Justice Working Group released a series of recommendations to support more fair and inclusive management of California’s public lands and waters. The recommendations call on the California State Lands Commission to honor the relationship of Indigenous Peoples to state lands, help accelerate a just transition to clean energy, and help reduce the impact transportation and commercial activities have on low-income communities and people of color.

Environmental injustice: Access and affordability of clean water

All people should have access to clean, safe drinking water. A big obstacle in the U.S. is the infrastructure that carries the water. DYK: The U.S. received a “D” grade for its drinking water infrastructure based on the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card.

Major overhaul to Michigan's drinking water rules scheduled to take effect in June

Half a million lead water pipes would have to be replaced in Michigan under the new drinking water rules scheduled to take effect in June. The project is expected to cost $2.5 billion.

This water filter made of paper could save people’s lives during natural disasters

Researchers from the University of Buffalo invented a nearly 100 percent efficient, low-cost water filter powered by the sun.

Plastic taints most bottled water, study finds

After testing more than 250 bottles of water from nine countries including China, USA, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and Germany, researchers from State University of New York found tiny pieces of plastic in the water in 93 out of every 100 of the bottles. Effects on human health are unknown at this time.

To defeat superbugs, everyone will need access to clean water

The global use of antibiotics is growing, driven by a number of developing countries that face more antibiotic-resistant infections. University of Oxford’s Abhilasha Karkey explains the link between antibiotic use and having access to clean water.

Dina Leech column: Fresh water: help restore this precious resource

The irony of our “blue planet” is that most water on Earth is unusable to humanity. Fresh water — which is essential for life and needed for agriculture, industry, and society — makes up less than 3 percent of the total water on Earth; and only 0.03 percent is easily accessible in lakes, rivers, and swamps. As the human population continues to grow, it puts an even greater strain on the amount of fresh water available per person.

Miracle moss removes arsenic from drinking water

While it's not the responsibility of plants to clean up the mess we humans seem to make of the planet, it is certainly kind of them to show us how it's done. The latest plant to offer an assist in environmental clean-up looks to be Warnstofia fluitans, otherwise known as floating hook moss.

Farm Runoff Causing Widespread Drinking Water Pollution in Midwest

A new report from the Environmental Working Group reveals that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is failing to enforce a key farm bill provision, with dire consequences for drinking water in the Midwest.

World Water Day 2018: The answer is in nature

World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water. This year’s theme, ‘Nature for Water’, explores nature-based solutions (NBS) to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.

How burnout drove an entrepreneur to help 30,000 people in Southeast Asia

A new water filtration system is providing clean drinking water to more than 30,000 people in remote villages in Southeast Asia.

2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than twice as many lack safe sanitation

Some 3 in 10 people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, and 6 in 10, or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

How NASA, Lasers And New Technology Help Measure California’s Snowpack With Exceptional Accuracy

New laser technology from NASA can now measure snowpack from the Sierra more accurately leading to better water conservation management in California.

Safe Drinking Water for Californian

Most of us take for granted our ability to turn on the tap and drink the water that flows from it. More than 1 million Californians, however, cannot take this basic human right for granted. Their water is not safe to drink and, in some cases, may not be safe for any household use. Instead they have to spend thousands of dollars a year on bottled water—dollars that residents of the impoverished communities most impacted by this problem don’t likely have. Flint, Michigan may have brought a national spotlight to water issues, but many low-income families have been living with the lack of safe water for years.

California lawmakers are stuck on Trump, but there's a problem at home that needs attention: dirty water

While President Trump and his California resistors dominate the spotlight, a little outfit without much pizazz is trying to draw state government’s attention to sickening drinking water in the San Joaquin Valley.

American drinking water could soon get a lot dirtier

The Trump administration's new infrastructure plan aims to ease regulatory checks on US waterways. The administration says this will help fast-track more building projects and reduce permit delays. But some water experts are worried that it could put some of the country's most fragile drinking water systems at risk, and put the expensive burden of water cleanup onto cities.

Silicon Valley wants to solve our water problems

Despite a lack of VC funds, there’s a steady flow of entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur started investing in water tech startups a few years ago. A small fraction of venture capital dollars currently goes into tech to manage or clean water.

New data: 2 million Puerto Ricans risk water contamination

More than 2.3 million Puerto Rican residents were served by water systems which drew at least one sample testing positive for total coliforms or E. coli after Maria devastated the island in September.

Billions in new spending for housing, water, parks and more could be on the 2018 ballot

Californians could vote on billions of dollars in new spending for low-income housing developments and water and parks improvements next year.

Clean water plan for long-suffering San Joaquin Valley Towns derailed

An innovative project would see seven Tulare County towns plagued by polluted wells sharing a water treatment plant, but political infighting stalled the proposal days before a funding deadline.

California towns tackle nitrate pollution with local solutions

It will take decades to slow nitrate contamination in groundwater from industrial agriculture in parts of the state of California, so communities are taking matters into their own hands to get clean drinking water.

California’s plan to tackle a carcinogen widespread in water

Decades after declaring 1,2,3-TCP a carcinogen, California is finally regulating the toxin. But the cost of remediation will be high and communities are turning toward litigation to pay for water treatment.

A nearly $17-billion water project is being planned for California. What will it cost the Southland?

Decision time is approaching for the agencies that will have to pick up the nearly $17-billion tab for building two massive water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the heart of the state’s water works.

California’s biggest drought success story came with a high cost

East Porterville was the hardest-hit community during the drought, when nearly 1,000 people were without water. Efforts to find a long-term fix have been successful but came with a big price tag and some important lessons.

63 million Americans exposed to unsafe drinking water

Nearly fifth of the United States from rural central California to the boroughs of New York City, were exposed to potentially unsafe water.

Hundreds of thousands of Californians lack access to safe drinking water. Let's fix that once and for all

California’s wet winter eased the immediate water shortages that affected most of the state, giving lawmakers and water agencies a bit of a breather.

What broke the safe water drinking act?

The Environmental Protection Agency has so far found perchlorate in 45 states, tainting water supplies of roughly 16 million Americans. Yet, there is no mandate that water utilities outside of California and Massachusetts test for the toxic chemical or let residents know when it’s in their tap water.

All schoolchildren deserve clean, safe drinking water: Connie Leyva and Eloise Gomez Reyes

As parents, we know that our first duty is to keep our children safe. We must all do our part to make sure that drinking water at California schools is safe and healthy for our children.

The California drought isn’t over, it just went underground

Drought conditions continue for thousands of rural residents in the San Joaquin valley who rely on groundwater. And the race to dig deeper wells is a losing game for small communities and those on private wells.

Water: More or Less' author talks California's ever-changing water policy

Rita Sudman is longtime observer of the California water, and even led the Water Education Foundation. In 2016, she co-authored "Water: More or Less." In an interview with ABC10, Sudman talked about her book and the future of California's water policy.

Living in California’s San Joaquin Valley may harm your health

More than 1 million people in the region have been exposed to unsafe drinking water in recent years from pesticides, arsenic, nitrate and uranium. And many communities also face multiple environmental health threats.

T is for toxic: danger lurking in California school drinking fountains

It’s too risky for tens of thousands of children in the San Joaquin Valley to drink water at their schools due to chronic contamination by chemicals, pesticides and other toxins.

California drought: plans advance to enlarge major Bay Area Reservoir

Working to expand water supplies for California’s next drought, a coalition of 12 Bay Area water agencies took a significant step toward an $800 million expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir.

7 things I learned studying public opinion on water

Do people only care about water during extreme drought, like California’s recent one? It turns out most Americans care a lot about water and have strong feelings on infrastructure spending and other water-related issues.

Getting to the roots of California’s drinking water crisis

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.

One key way soggy California could save water for the next dry spell

There is so much water in the state’s vast plumbing system that for weeks, the big government water projects have reduced exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Yet there is more room than ever in one of the state’s most capacious storage spaces: the San Joaquin Valley aquifer.

Cancer-Causing Chemical TCP Plagues California Drinking Water

In the Central Valley of California, hundreds of wells that provide water to a million people are tainted with a chemical that some experts say is one of the most powerful cancer-causing agents in the world. The state is poised to take the first step Tuesday to regulate the substance — called 1,2,3, TCP — but test data compiled by an activist group show it's also been detected by utilities across the country.

California proposes strict limit on toxic chemical in drinking water

California would be the second state, after Hawaii, to establish a threshold for the former pesticide ingredient and industrial solvent known as TCP (1,2,3-trichloropropane) in drinking water.

California could have stored abundant water underground

California has much more potential to store water underground in aquifers than in surface reservoirs. The state should be focused on this opportunity for future years, writes scientist Mohammad Safeeq.

California’s ‘new’ environmentalism: Toxic air, tainted water driving climate-change debate

“We’ve done a lot for this global environment, but we’ve done very little for the needs of these communities,” said Garcia, a Mexican-American who heads the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

The dried-up heart of California's water dilemma

Tulare Lake is gone (although it makes a partial reappearance during very wet years like this one), but what the California Department of Water Resources now dubs the Tulare Lake Hydrologic Region is the most productive agricultural region in the state -- making it, by extension, the most productive agricultural region in the U.S. and probably the world.

Tracking down water pollution through DNA of algae

The degree of pollution of rivers resulting from human activities is assessed using different biotic indices. The latter reflect the ecological status of a river based on the quantity and diversity of organisms selected as bioindicators, due to their ecological preferences and tolerance to pollution.

#123TCP – The Toxic Chemical in California's Tap Water

Millions of homes across the state are connected to water sources contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical called 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) and until recently, few Californians knew about it, let alone had any way to fight it.

Why we need to respect shared water resources: environmental issues are people issues too

A significant amount of the limited freshwater resources in the world are contaminated by pollutants from industry, farming, energy generation, and other human activities.

Americans’ fears about water pollution hit a 16-year high

A new poll finds Americans are more concerned about their drinking water than they are about any other environmental issue. Drinking-water scares like the lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, appear to have had a lingering impact on Americans’ concerns with their drinking-water supplies.

When it rains, Los Angeles sends billions of gallons of 'free liquid gold' down the drain

As Los Angeles continues to receive more rainfall, many are advocating for the construction of storm water capture projects to maintain the region's water supply.

Where does my water come from?

This article helps Californians identify their source(s) of drinking water, learn more about how drinking water is treated, and learn how to help prevent pollution of our groundwater and surface water supplies.

Over 300 L.A. neighborhoods had higher rates of children with elevated lead levels than Flint, Mich.

Los Angeles County Department of Health found that many children across the county have high levels of lead in their systems.

World Water Day: one in four children will live with water scarcity by 2040

UNICEF predicts that 600 million children in the world's poorest countries will suffer from the effects of water scarcity by 2040.

6 ways you can help keep our water clean

Water pollution and runoff can be prevented through simple daily tasks, such as going to a car wash and not flushing no degradable products.

California's poor hit hardest by unsafe drinking water

More than 3,000 of those residents are in the San Diego region, living in poor communities near Potrero, Pauma Valley and Borrego Springs.

8 Million Californians have been drinking polluted water for years

California is expected to set a strict state-level maximum contaminant level for a probable human carcinogen ― 28 years after the state’s Water Resources Control Board first detected the chemical in its drinking water system.

Can desalination plants quench California's thirst for water in a clean way?

The development of desalination plants in California has sparked a debate about the sustainability and efficacy of water desalination.

California has its own Flint, needs funding for safe drinking water

The lack of access to clean water has left more than 300 communities in California vulnerable.

Do you live near toxic waste? See 1,317 of the most polluted spots in the U.S.

With 98 Superfund sites in California and more than 1,300 across the country, Americans are suffering from exposure to toxic wastes and chemicals.

California's reservoirs are filled with gunk, and it's crowding out room to store water

If sediment in California's dams were cleared and recycled, the state could expand water storage capacity and provide sand for beaches and spawning beds for steelhead trout.

Oroville Dam faces another risk: Earthquakes from rapid rise in water levels

Oroville Dam not only faces a spillage crisis, but a seismic one as well. Scientists say the filling of the reservoir could produce a damaging earthquake in a generation.

Hundreds of thousands of Californians exposed to contaminated water

Nearly 1 million people don't have access to safe, reliable drinking water at home or at school.

Drinking water crisis brewing in California

Researches show that “more than 400 California communities have drinking water that does not meet safe standards.”

Safe drinking water evades the poor

An in-depth look at the everyday challenges of a family that does not have access to clean water in California, and the culprits.

Toxic water plagues rural California

Contaminated water with lead and copper are not uncommon even in California and a Fresno community is heavily affected.