Is California ready for the next drought?
MEDIA ADVISORY
Feb. 10, 2020
CONTACT:
Jerry Jimenez, Community Water Center
(408) 219-9636
jerry.jimenez@communitywatercenter.org
Community Water Center releasing web tool to find out and prepare
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Community Water Center is releasing a new interactive web tool on Wednesday, Feb. 12, to help California prepare for the next drought.
California will experience longer, more severe droughts due to climate change. This will cause drinking water supplies for vulnerable communities to run dry or become contaminated, directly threatening California’s ability to secure safe and affordable drinking water for all.
“It’s not a matter of ‘if’ another drought hits, it’s a matter of ‘when’ it hits,” said Susana De Anda, Executive Director and Co-founder of Community Water Center, a non-profit based in Visalia aimed at ensuring safe, clean, and affordable drinking water for all Californians. “That’s why we created the Drinking Water Tool. So that communities and decision-makers can better prepare to protect drinking water during these changing times.”
The Drinking Water Tool is a web-based application that will help you learn:
Where your water comes from based on your address
Whether a future drought could impact your drinking water supply
About the groundwater quality and supply in your area
How to advocate for safe, clean and affordable drinking water
How to compare information about your water with your local Groundwater Sustainability Plan
Based on an analysis developed for this tool, 1.6 million Californians live in areas served by private domestic wells. Many of these residents live in the Central Valley and would be affected by future droughts. The Drinking Water Tool estimates that a future drought could impact 4,500 domestic wells in the Central Valley, potentially costing the state about $115 million. This presents a serious public health crisis and undermines California’s efforts to secure the Human Right to Water for all Californians.
The findings highlight why it’s critical to enact California Department of Water Resources’ drought recommendations and why CWC will introduce legislation this month, along with other stakeholders, to require drought planning for small water suppliers and communities reliant on private wells.
“Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right,” De Anda said. “We don’t want a repeat of the last drought, which left vulnerable communities in the San Joaquin Valley devastated without access to clean drinking water. We must make sure California is ready to protect access to drinking water when the next drought hits.”
DETAILS:
WHAT: Community Water Center will release its web-based interactive Drinking Water Tool for California drought planning and preparation.
WHEN: Wednesday, February 12,11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
HOW TO JOIN: Attend an in-person watch party at any of our three office locations
below OR join via webinar. CLICK HERE TO RSVP
Office Locations:
Visalia (900 W Oak Ave., Visalia, CA 93291)
Sacramento (716 10th St., #300, Sacramento, CA 95814, front door code: 82552)
Watsonville (406 Main St., #421, Watsonville, CA 95076)
Webinar instructions:
Click on the link below and follow the prompts:
https://meet693507469.adobeconnect.com/dwt21220/
Select “Open in Browser”
To dial in: 1-800-832-0736
Conference/room number: 7974613#
Please join the webinar 10 minutes before 11 a.m.
###
Community Water Center (CWC) works to ensure that all communities have reliable access to safe, clean, and affordable water. Founded in 2006, CWC is a not-for-profit environmental justice organization, whose mission is to act as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through education, organizing, and advocacy.
Web: www.communitywatercenter.org.
Twitter: @CWaterC
Facebook: @CommunityWaterCenter
