Calif. Nonprofit Taps Residents to Ensure Safe Drinking Water

Thousands of Californians don’t have access to clean, safe, affordable drinking water. It’s a problem that hits low-income communities and communities of color hardest.

“People in the United States tend to think that this is only an issue in the third world or this doesn’t happen in the U.S., and unfortunately that’s not true,” says Laurel Firestone, one of the founders of the Community Water Center. The nonprofit has been working to improve water quality in California’s San Joaquin Valley since 2006.

As a first step to solve the problem, Community Water Center volunteers and trained specialists like Erasto Teran teach people how to test their water. Contaminants like pesticides, nitrates, and arsenic can enter the water supply through natural deposits or industrial and agricultural pollution. Residents often can’t see or taste the pollutants. Teran works with families in Visalia, Calif., an agricultural city in the state’s Central Valley, where many people use private wells, which are increasingly contaminated, Firestone says.

The center helps residents fight for change in their communities. Lasting solutions often require filtration systems, building new wells and pipes, and protecting sources of drinking water. It also advocates for legislation to improve water quality.

In February, the James Irvine Foundation honored Firestone and co-founder Susana De Anda with a $200,000 leadership award for their pioneering work.

“Change starts with finding out what’s in your water and just becoming informed about where your water comes from and what the quality and reliability is,” Firestone says. “This is something that unites all of us.”