September eNews: ¡Feliz quinceañera, CWC!
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Since 2006, CWC’s work for safe, clean, and affordable drinking water has rippled across and beyond the southern San Joaquin Valley, where CWC was founded. Through community organizing and advocacy, CWC contributes to the movement for water justice from local to statewide, national, and even transnational scales.
Looking back, we have much to celebrate. CWC’s staff and partners were integral in the statewide movement for passage of the Human Right to Water Law in 2012, the first in the U.S. Then, to deliver on this visionary commitment, CWC and allies worked for years to establish the nation’s first Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, which now provides crucial funding to communities. Just this year, CWC helped secure $1 billion in water debt relief, providing resources to ensure families impacted by the pandemic get the assistance they need.
But of course, there’s much work to be done. Hundreds of domestic wells are failing, millions of Californians are impacted by unsafe water, and even more Californians are dealing with unaffordable water bills. Through these ongoing injustices, I am grateful for CWC’s steadfast commitment to its mission: acting as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through organizing, education, and advocacy in California. This work is vital to building the community power needed to realize the promise of the Human Right to Water. Thank you to all of you -- CWC’s broad community -- for 15 years of generous support and encouragement. I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the years to come!
Adelante,
Jenny Rempel
CWC Board Member
Draft Report Released: North of Moss Landing Drinking Water Project
Community Feedback Requested by Oct. 8, 2021
Many households in the area north of Moss Landing receive water from private wells contaminated with nitrates and 1,2,3-trichloropropane (123-TCP) at levels that violate public health standards. CWC’s state-funded study recommends connection of households to a nearby piped water system, operated by Pajaro Sunny Mesa Community Services District (CSD), as the best way to address contamination for this area.
The Draft Report, by Corona Environmental Consulting, evaluated long-term options to provide safe water to the area north of Moss Landing. Twenty seven community members signed a petition requesting funding from the state to support this study. Throughout this study, CWC engaged community members through virtual community meetings, phone calls, and surveys to ensure that community questions, concerns, and feedback are addressed and incorporated. Stakeholder agencies, such as the State Water Board, Monterey County and Pajaro Sunny Mesa CSD were consulted to respond to community questions and ensure that a feasible solution is recommended.
All community members who live or own property in the project area are encouraged to provide feedback on the Draft Report anytime, through our website or by contacting us directly. CWC will incorporate community feedback received by October 8, 2021 into the final report and move forward to implement a long-term solution to provide safe and affordable drinking water for these households.
Historic Water Debt Program Approved: $1 Billion in Relief is On the Way
The State Water Board recently voted to adopt the California Water & Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program (WWAPP) to distribute $1 Billion for water utility debt relief to customers incurred during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The last year and a half have been incredibly challenging for families, many of whom fell behind on their water bills. In July, the Legislature recognized the dramatic need to address the growing water debt crisis and provided $1 billion to address COVID-related water debt impacting over 5 million Californians across the state. According to the State Water Board, this will pay for all reported drinking water debt and address wastewater debt in early 2022.
However, some water systems have already indicated they will not participate in the program, even as their customers drown in debts from the pandemic and risk losing access to drinking water. These systems object to requirements that participating water systems waive late fees and provide assistance where utility debts have been transferred to tax rolls or debt collection agencies. A list of community water systems and their survey responses can be found here!
We will closely monitor the program’s implementation to ensure the Human Right to Water is protected. The board plans to keep the survey and application process open through December.
All communities should have the opportunity to access these funds. Contact your water provider today to make sure they are participating in this program and helping your community! If you get a bill for your tap water, the name of your water provider will be on the bill. If you rent your home and do not pay your own water bill, you may still be served by a local water provider. Ask your landlord for information on who provides water to your home and the contact information of the water system.
CWC in the News!
“We really believe clean water is a basic human right, and it should never be a privilege.”
Susana De Anda, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Community Water Center
Guess who’ll get hit hardest by California’s severe water shortage?
“Residents without running water, without water to cook in, or to bathe in.”
Erick Orellana, Policy Advocate, Community Water Center
In California’s Water Wars, Nuts Are Edging Out People
"There's some hope that DWR could intervene on behalf of San Joaquin Valley's water-vulnerable communities."
Justine Massey, Policy Manager & Attorney, Community Water Center
See more CWC news coverage here.
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Thank you to our Generous Donors!
Huge thank you to our sustaining monthly donors, whose continual contributions help to sustain our long-term work toward achieving safe, clean, and affordable drinking water!
Arden Wells, Bessma Mourad, Bob Simone, Brad Coffey, Carly Yoshida, Cassie Morgan, Denise Heitzenroder, Frank Lukacs, Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida, Julia Emerson, Kathryn Gilje, Kathryn Wuelfing, Kelsey Hinton, Klara East, Kristin Dobbin, Lara Cushing, Leonard Sklar, Max Meyer, Paul Pierce, Sandra Hocker, Stephen Gasteyer, Vicki Woods, and Victoria Klug
And thank you to our generous donors for September!
George W. Davis and Steve Kagan
Be a water champion and support safe water for all.
