Drought Crisis Response
Are you or someone you know impacted by the drought in the San Joaquin Valley? See FREE drought relief resources below. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, call us at 559-733-0219
If you live in the Central Coast and are experiencing drought impacts, please contact Shirley Robles at (831) 500-2677 or shirley.robles@communitywatercenter.org.
Water Quality Testing
Water from your well can be tested for contamination to determine if it is safe to use for drinking, cooking, and other daily home uses. If contamination is confirmed, you may be eligible for short-term drinking water assistance programs, including the bottled water program described below, or a filtration system.
To apply, leave a detailed voicemail with Self-Help Enterprises at (559) 802-1285 or email waterquality@selfhelpenterprises.org
Solutions for Dry Wells
If your well is pumping sand or has gone completely dry, a storage tank and hauled water can be provided as an emergency short-term solution. Applicants to this program are also eligible for bottled water and will be provided with additional information about funding options for a replacement well or another water source. To apply, leave a detailed voicemail with Self-Help Enterprises at (559) 802-1685 or email droughtsupport@selfhelpenterprises.org
Water from your well can be tested for contamination to determine if it is safe to use for drinking, cooking, and other daily home uses. If contamination is confirmed, you may be eligible for short-term drinking water assistance programs, including the bottled water program described below, or a filtration system. To apply, leave a detailed voicemail with Self-Help Enterprises at (559) 802-1285 or email waterquality@selfhelpenterprises.org
Bottled Water Program
You must provide well testing results to be eligible. If your well has not been tested in the last year, you are encouraged to apply for the well-testing program described here before you apply for bottled water.
Call : 559-802-1284
Email: BottledWater@selfhelpenterprises.org
Learn more here: communitywatercenter.org/bottledwater
Water Shortages Near You
Click here and choose at the top or scroll down to the “Dry Well Susceptibility Within Groundwater Basins” section to find areas most at risk for wells going dry in the future.
Working Towards Long-term Solutions
West Goshen is a small, unincorporated community just west of Visalia in Tulare County where residents endure drinking water contamination and dry wells. CWC is working with West Goshen to secure a long-term drinking water solution for the community. Click here to learn more about the solution West Goshen is pursuing.
Drought in California
California’s last drought (2012-2016) left thousands of Central Valley residents without running water as their wells went dry, devastating families and communities. Over-pumping groundwater continues to cause shallow domestic and community water wells to run dry, threatening communities' water supply throughout the state.
On April 10, 2021 California State Governor Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency. According to the Department of Water Resources, 5,293 wells in California were reported as dry by the end of 2022. 1,247 of those dry wells are located in the Central Valley. CWC’s Drinking Water Tool estimates more than 4,500 Central Valley domestic wells may be at risk. A 2020 report from the Water Foundation goes even further, estimating that up to 12,000 domestic wells in the Central Valley could go dry due to groundwater overpumping, which tends to increase during drought. The following links will lead you to the summary and full report.
We cannot afford to repeat the past by waiting for entire communities to go dry.
Governor Newsom has proposed historic investments for drought resiliency and emergency response. These investments are critical to California’s efforts to combat climate change, which will cause droughts to be more frequent, severe, and prolonged.
On March 28, 2022, Governor Newsom signed an executive order intended to protect the majority of Californians who rely on groundwater for their water supply. For the first time in California, this order requires local well permits to align with groundwater sustainability before being approved. Local groundwater agencies must now review each permit and determine how the new well would impact existing nearby wells, existing infrastructure, and the groundwater sustainability plan for that basin.
Focusing only on the drought will not be enough to make sure families maintain access to water in their homes. Sustainable groundwater management is another key component to protecting small, rural communities from losing their water supply. Learn more here at communitywatercenter.org/SGMA.
