Background

East Orosi is an unincorporated community in Tulare County of about 700 people which has struggled with contaminated groundwater for more than 10 years. The groundwater in the area has nitrate levels that regularly exceed the federal health standard. With the groundwater unsafe to drink, residents, who are mostly low-income, Latino families, rely on bottled drinking water as a temporary measure to have safe water to drink. Some bottled water assistance is being provided, but it's not enough to meet the need for most families. Because of this, residents in East Orosi have to pay for water twice - once for water from their tap that they cannot drink - and again when they drive long distances to buy jugs of potable water for their families.

To address this problem, residents are strongly advocating for consolidating their drinking water service with the neighboring Orosi community, which is less than one mile away and has safe drinking water. In 2015, CWC was instrumental in passing SB 88, which grants authority to the State Water Resources Control Board to engage with larger water systems to supply drinking water to smaller disadvantaged, unincorporated communities in close proximity where other potential solutions are out of reach for that community. If the two communities are unable or unwilling to come to a voluntary agreement to consolidate drinking water services, the State Water Board has the power to mandate consolidation. In July of 2018, the State Water Board initiated this process by notifying both systems of their intent to pursue consolidation. 

With little evidence of progress towards a voluntary consolidation, the Board took important and necessary action and issued a mandatory consolidation order in October 2020, requiring the two districts to get it done by the end of 2024. To help move this solution forward, the State Water Board is appointing Tulare County to take over management of East Orosi CSD's drinking water services beginning in 2022.

Despite the order, the consolidation project still faces local opposition and ongoing delays. CWC is actively engaging in this project by ensuring community engagement to advance the consolidation and ensure that state and local leaders respond appropriately to the continued barriers to participation and the sense of urgency felt by East Orosi residents.

Despite over a decade of barriers to accessing safe water, progress is finally being made. On November 1, 2022, Tulare County took over the administration of East Orosi’s water system, meaning they now manage all resident bills for drinking water. For many years, residents of East Orosi have struggled to pay their water bills due to inadequate management of finances from the board's general manager, causing residents to receive bills with unexplained charges, lack of receipt for payment, or no bill at all. This is a huge win for the community!