February eNews: New Legislation for the Next Big Drought
Despite some rain this month, drought conditions persist and it becomes increasingly clear that water for vulnerable communities must be protected as part of SGMA (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act) implementation and drought preparation.
The good news is that SB 552 was introduced this month to strengthen drought resiliency for vulnerable communities.
And our community partners continue to take action for safe water at the front lines. Central Coast residents formed a new community based organization called GOTA (Gente Organizada Trabajando Por el Agua) to work toward attaining safe, clean, and affordable drinking water for their community north of Moss Landing.
Central Coast residents are also participating in community meetings - co-hosted by CWC - to help develop long-term solutions for contaminated drinking water in their homes.
Whether at the state or local level, we’re proud to partner with our elected leaders and our community partners to make the Human Right to Water a reality.
Adelante,
Susana De Anda
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Drought Watch: SGMA Implementation Must Protect Drinking Water for Vulnerable Communities
Over the past few months, community members have reported drinking wells drying up and a need for emergency relief. The U.S. Drought Monitor says 99 percent of California is at least “abnormally dry” and 30 percent is in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought conditions.
As we get closer to summer we fear that these calls could be the start of a larger occurrence of drinking well outages. CWC’s Drinking Water Tool projects that thousands of Central Valley residents could experience dry wells if conditions persist.
This will likely be worsened by an anticipated increased demand for groundwater by the agricultural industry as surface water in the form of snowpack and rain becomes more scarce and unpredictable due to climate change.
As SGMA is implemented, we must ensure that vulnerable communities do not lose their most basic form of PPE – being able to wash their hands. In the coming months, we will continue to advocate for all regions in the state to develop drought resiliency measures and for Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to include access to safe water in their plans.
New Legislation will Strengthen Drought Resilience in Vulnerable Communities
In preparation for the next big drought, Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) introduced legislation last week aimed at drastically improving drought preparedness for small and rural communities throughout California.
SB 552 protects vulnerable communities from extended periods of water shortages by making changes to local drought and water contingency plans, and by enhancing coordination between local and state governments, small water suppliers, and rural communities. Once in place, these tools will build a drought preparedness framework for small and rural communities and will help ensure water security for all Californians.
“History has shown the catastrophic damage that droughts have on our vulnerable communities,” said Susana De Anda, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Community Water Center. “We can’t afford a repeat. California must be ready for the next big drought and SB 552 will help us get there.”
CWC Holds Community Meetings for Drinking Water Project North of Moss Landing
Many households in the area north of Moss Landing receive water from private wells contaminated with nitrate and 1,2,3-trichloropropane (123-TCP) at levels much higher than public health standards. Exposure to nitrate in drinking water can have short- and long-term health effects for all people, especially infants and vulnerable populations. Long-term exposure to 123-TCP at levels typically found in contaminated drinking water is associated with an increased risk of cancer.
CWC is working with Corona Environmental Consulting to study and evaluate long-term options for providing safe water to this area. The goal of this project is to evaluate long-term solutions for supplying safe drinking water to the approximately 90 households in the area.
On February 19, CWC and Corona Environmental Consulting hosted the first of five community meetings to discuss different long-term solutions that will be considered in the study and to listen to community members' opinions and input, as we want to ensure that the final solution is practical and beneficial for all involved.
Community Partners form New Community Based Organization: GOTA (Gente Organizada Trabajando Por el Agua)
Community partners in the area north of Monterey County attended a virtual community platica on January 21 and voted to form a community based organization to keep residents informed and engaged in decision-making processes related to the development of water solutions affecting their community.
GOTA, or Gente Organizada Trabajando Por el Agua (People Organized Working Together for Water), is tasked with the mission of building community and working together to obtain safe, clean, and affordable drinking water for their community north of Moss Landing.
Contact Reyna Peralta, Community Organizer at Community Water Center, to learn more about upcoming platicas: reyna.peralta@communitywatercenter.org or (831) 500-2677.
Meetings and Events
AGUA Coalition Members: The next meeting will be March 22, 5 - 6:30 p.m. Call Christina at (559) 733-0219 to get the Zoom call-in info.
El Comité Members: The next meeting will be on February 26, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.. Call Mayra at (831) 500-2125 to get the Zoom call-in information.
CWC in the News!
Returning to 'normalcy' in Washington means little to Californians who are suffering
“We fought. We’ve collaborated. We’ve gone to meetings and (public officials) say they’re going to help.We’ve been doing this for 14 years.”
Benedicto Cazares, AGUA Coalition member, East Orosi
See more CWC news coverage here.
New CWC Team Members
We are excited to introduce Bryan Osorio as our new team member! Bryan joined our Visalia office this month as Community Solutions Advocate. Welcome aboard, Bryan!
Read more about Bryan here
Safe Water Resources
Thank you to our Generous Donors!
Huge thank you to our regular monthly donors, whose continual contributions help to sustain our long-term work toward achieving safe, clean and affordable drinking water!
Anavel Valdez-Lupercio, Arden Wells, Arohi Sharma, Benigna Hernandez, Bessma Mourad, Carly Yoshida, Esperanza Pimentel, Frank Lukacs, Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida, Julia Emerson, Kathryn Gilje, Kelly Archer, Kelsey Hinton, Klara East, Kristin Dobbin, Lara Cushing, Leonard Sklar, Paul Pierce, Sandra Hocker, Sandra Rose, and Victoria Klug
And thank you to our generous donors for February!
Donald Zimmerman and Nancy Wiens
If you would like to donate to CWC, please click here!
