According to data published in 2019 by the World Health Organization and UNICEF in 2019, more than 785 million worldwide people did not have access to at least basic water services and more than 884 million people did not have safe water to drink. A study released by UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles in January 2022 reports that an estimated 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain high levels of the chemicals arsenic, nitrate or hexavalent chromium. Other estimates that account for a broader range of contaminants and access issues put the number of Californians without access to clean water at over 1 million. A lack of infrastructure, aging systems, dried up wells, unaffordable rates, poor water quality, historical or systemic racism, are all more likely to impact lower-income communities.
Since 2012, California’s “Human Right to Water” law (Assembly Bill 685) has declared that every person in the state has a right to clean, safe, and affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes. Now, under SB 200 we have the SAFER program.
Nationwide, the Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act, establish providing safe, clean water as a government obligation.
In this 1.5-hour event, we’ll learn more about what is being done here in California to provide equal access to clean water to communities statewide.
Event Panelists:
Letitia Carpenter, US Water Alliance
Heather Lukacs, Community Water Center
Amanda Ford, California State Water Resources Control Board
Arthine Cossey van Duyne, WaterFunder
Registration
This event is free for AWWEE members and up to two guests. Non-member registration is $20.