Employed

Per Capita Income

Above Poverty

Economic

Preschool Enrollment

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Education

Voting

Census Response

Social

Automobile Access

Active Commuting

Transportation

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Retail Density

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Housing Habitability

Uncrowded Housing

Homeownership

Housing

Ozone

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Diesel Particulate Matter

Safe Drinking Water

Clean Environment

Extreme Heat

Impervious Surfaces

Outdoor Workers

Public Transit Access

Sea Level Rise

Two Parent Households

Alcohol Availability

Supermarket Access

Decision Support

Everyone should have access to safe, affordable drinking water. Water is an essential human right needed for healthy outcomes. While most drinking water in California meets federal and state health and safety standards, some drinking water is contaminated by bacteria and chemicals. Contamination can occur from natural or human sources. Natural sources of contamination may include soil, rocks and fires. For example, arsenic, which is known to cause cancer, is naturally present in some rocks and soils and can lead to groundwater contamination.

 Human sources of contamination can include sewage, factories and runoff from farms. Nitrates from fertilizer or animal manure can contaminate groundwater and wells. Nitrates can cause birth defects, miscarriages and a blood condition in infants called blue baby syndrome (methemoglobinemia).

 Lead can enter drinking water when service pipes containing lead age. Housing built before 1986 is more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solders. Even low levels of lead exposure are not safe for children, babies or soon-to-be-born babies. Lead is linked to premature birth, central and peripheral nervous system damage, learning disabilities, impaired growth, anemia and hearing problems.

Drinking water standards are called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations details MCLs standards for the state. There are two basic types of MCLs standards. Primary MCLs address health concerns. Secondary MCLs include issues of aesthetics, or appearance, which include taste and odor and can affect consumer intake and confidence. The 

State Water Resources Control Board website

 maintains up-to-date information on water related laws and regulated contaminants.

Exposure to contaminated drinking water disproportionately impacts low-income communities, communities of color, and people in rural areas of the state.

 Within these communities, there is also a demonstrated mistrust of drinking water, even when the water supplies meet health standards.

 Moreover, even when water meetings safe drinking standards, it may not meet aesthetic standards including taste and odor. According to Prevention Institute’s 

, the 2015 American Housing Survey found that one in five households in the Los Angeles-Long Beach Metro Area reported their water is not safe to drink, almost three times the national average. Additionally, they noted that one in three Hispanic households and one in four Black households reported unsafe drinking water, compared to one in nine Non-Hispanic White households.

 More renters (25%) than homeowners (14%) reported unsafe drinking water, and nearly twice as many households earning less than $50,000 per year reported unsafe drinking water compared to households earning more than $50,000 annually.

Distrust of the drinking water supply can impact how people access and use water. Low-income communities and families of color often buy bottled water instead of using tap water, especially when tap water is discolored or has an odor.

 study found that Latino families spend on average 4% of their income buying bottled water.

 For many families, buying bottled water reduces the money available to purchase or secure other necessities. This is particularly concerning since the water standards for bottled water are overseen by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration and are less strict that those set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for tap water supplies. In addition, when there is a mistrust of water supplies, sugar sweetened beverages m ay be substituted for water.

 Sugar sweetened beverages are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

This indicator is an index score combining information about 13 contaminants and 2 types of water quality violations found during drinking water sample testing.  This index was developed by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and is included in the 

Charles River Watershed Association, “Stormwater, Trees, and the Urban Environment: A Comparative Analysis of Con¬ventional Street Tree Pits and Stormwater Tree Pits for Stormwater Management in Ultra Urban Environments,” 2009.

Boweler, D. et al., “How Effective Is ‘Greening’ Of Urban Areas In Reducing Human Exposure To Ground Level Ozone Concentrations, Uv Exposure And The ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’?,” Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Review 08, no. 004 (2010), www.environmentalevidence.org/SR41.html.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Reducing Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies- Cool Roofs,” 2008.

Younger M, Morrow-Almeida H, Vindigni S, and Dannenberg A. 2008. The built environment, climate change, and health: Opportunities for co-benefits. American Journal of Preventive Medicine: 35:5, 517-526.

Wolf K. 2014. Water and wellness: Green infrastructure for health co-benefits. Storm water Report: Water Environment Federation (WEF). stormwater.wef.org/2014/04/water-wellness/. Accessed 13 April 2016.

U.S. Geological Service, Contaminants Found in Groundwater, https://water.usgs.gov/edu/groundwater-contaminants.html

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, General Information About Lead in Drinking Water, https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water#getinto

Christian-Smith J,Gleick P, Cooley H, Vanderwarker A, Allen L. “A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy” Oxford University Press. 2012

Safe Water Alliance, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, and the International Human Rights Law Clinic, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. “Barriers to Access to Safe and Affordable Water for Disadvantaged Communities in California.” April 2015. https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Shadow-Report-on-Right-to-Water-JS25-150511.pdf

Prevention Institute. “A Time of Opportunity: Water, Health and Equity in the Los Angeles Region” Executive Summary dated February 2018. https://ourwaterla.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Prevention-Institute-Report-on-Water-Health-and-Equity-in-LA-Exec-Summary_2.pdf

Patel A, Schmidt L. Water Access in the United States: Health Disparities Abound and Solutions Are Urgently Needed. American Journal of Public Health. 2017 Sept; 107(9): 1354-1356. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5551618/

Patel AI, Shapiro DJ, Wang YC, Cabana MD. Sociodemographic characteristics and beverage intake of children who drink tap water. Am J Prev Med. 2013;45(1):75–82. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4452285/

Gorelick MH, Gould L, et al. Perceptions about water and increased use of bottled water in mintority children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2011 Oct; 165(10):928-32. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21646572

Pacific Institute. The Human Costs of Nitrate-Contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley. March 2011.

Onufrak S, Park S, et al. The relationship of perceptions of tap water safety with intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and plain water among US adults. Public Health Nutrition. 2014 Jan; 17(1); 179-85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23098620

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Get the Facts: Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Consumption. February 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html

Malik, V. et al., Sugar Sweetened Beverages, Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease risk, Circulation. 2010 March 23; 121(11): 1356–1364. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862465/

US EPA 2016. Water quality assessment and TMDL information. Washington, DC, United States Environmental Protection Agency US EPA. https:// ofmpub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_index.home. Accessed 23 May 2018.

Crunch W, et al. Responding to Landowner Complaints of Water Contamintaiton from Oil and Gas Activities: Best Practices. Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic and the Environmental Policy Initative, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass: May 2014. http://environment.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/responding-landowner-complaints-water-contamination-best-practices.pdf Accessed 23 May 2018.

Our water system is very complex and for many, knowledge of water infrastructure is limited to what flows from the faucet. It may take some time assess the water landscape in your community. Questions to consider: Where does your water come from and are there publicly available water testing reports? Does available data indicate that drinking water is meeting health and safety levels? How is drinking water safety perceived, especially among low-income communities and communities of color? What agencies, providers, community organizations and local coalitions are dedicated to water issues in your area? For more information, contact your local water district and the 

California Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management Program

Communities can work to Reduce Water Contamination from water sources themselves, as well as stormwater runoff or industry-related contaminants that ends up in the drinking water supply. To

negate possible contamination from infrastructure

, communities should comply with state and federal water laws, remove lead pipes, and address premise plumbing infrastructure issues. To create more water resilient communities, jurisdictions should take steps to 

 by focusing on prevention efforts that preserve and maintain water quality, including water resource, drought-resistant native plants, and climate resilience actions. To 

prevent contamination from agriculture, pharmaceuticals or oil and gas industries

, jurisdictions should ensure inspections, provide economic incentives, and address various sources of contamination. Another essential strategy is 

Improving Water Quality Data, Monitoring and Reporting

 by the local water agencies, as well as proper disclosure to community members of water contamination issues and offering resources for consumers and water purveyors alike. Local governments should also 

 to prevent contamination and may want to explore creating dedicated funding streams to pay for infrastructure improvements. These improvements should prioritize areas that have lacked safe drinking water in the past or present. They should also be context-sensitive to areas with small water systems and domestic wells that are more decentralized and more difficult to monitor. Finally, all communities should strive to 

 by advancing plans, policies and systems changes that promote water as a basic human right and ensure equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water for everyone.

Ensure adequate reporting and monitoring of drinking water sources, and support regulation and reform processes for systems that are causing harm to communities

Promising

Create a “One Stop Shopping” Resource for Consumers

Strong Evidence

Ensure Water Safety through Robust Regulation and Oversight 

Emerging

Provide Financial Resources for Low-Income Households’ Residential Water Testing 

Best Practice

Support Innovation Using Local Authority

Advance plans, policies and systems changes that promote water as a basic human right and ensure equitable access to safe, affordable drinking water for everyone.

Equity

Sufficient Evidence

Foster Authentic Community Engagement

Treat Water as a Basic Human Right 

Integrate the Three Pillars of Water Equity

Ensure compliance with state and federal laws, improve plumbing, and reduce contaminants in the drinking water supply.

Ensure Compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule for Drinking Water 

Address Premise Plumbing Contamination 

Remove Lead Pipes 

Prevent storm water runoff with man-made and natural systems to reduce contaminants in the drinking water supply, while also addressing climate change.

Use Rain Gardens, Bioswales, Planter Boxes, and Other Bioretention Systems

Climate Action Planning Processes

Utilize Sustainable Farming Techniques 

Healthy Neighborhoods

Pollution

Physical Activity

Climate

Green Infrastructure

Green Roofs

Urban Greening

Cool Pavements

Explore funding mechanisms and partnerships that can provide adequate and sustainable resources to protect the safe drinking water supply

Prioritize Funding to Areas with Unsafe Drinking Water

Community Water Fluoridation

Develop Water Partnerships

Create Dedicated Funding for Water and Sewer Infrastructure

Share Public Information to Inform Private Domestic Well Owners

Prevent contaminants in the water supply resulting from industrial sources of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and oil and gas.

Policy Guide

Safe Drinking Water

Improve Water Quality Data, Monitoring and Reporting

Build an Equitable Water Future

Reduce Water Contamination from Infrastructure

Reduce Water Contamination from Urban and Suburban Runoff

Improve Water Infrastructure

Reduce Water Contamination from Industry