A new report from the California State Auditor has found unsafe drinking water conditions have not been addressed with the urgency required, particularly among lower income and rural areas, affecting nearly 1 million Californians.
The report, State Water Resources Control Board; It Lacks the Urgency Necessary to Ensure That Failing Water Systems Receive Needed Assistance in a Timely Manner, was issued earlier this summer.
With the increase in environmental bills just signed by the governor, it’s raising questions about what more is needed to address drinking water concerns in communities across the state.
“Financial assistance to fix water systems is available and getting out to water districts, but slowly,” Michael S. Tilden, acting state auditor, said in an email response to the Northern California Record.
“Our audit found that applications for assistance are taking twice as long as they did five years ago, increasing from 17 months to about three years now, to go from the time a water district applies for funding to when it receives the funding," Tilden said. "For communities with unsafe drinking water, the longer it takes to get assistance out to them, the higher the likelihood of health concerns.”
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved this audit after concerns were expressed that communities, especially smaller, rural communities, were not getting the help they needed to ensure residents had access to safe drinking water, Tilden said.
“As of the end of December 2021, more than 370 water systems had unsafe drinking water, affecting close to a million people,” Tilden said. “At that time, the State Water Board reported nearly 350 water districts with applications in process to obtain funding to repair their water systems. Also, some communities may be trying to improve systems without the water board’s help, either because they do not need monetary assistance or are not aware that it is available.”
It is not yet known if new legislation has been proposed. Gov. Newsom has until Oct. 1 to act on this session’s bills, and the Legislature is in recess until Dec. 5. This year’s general election takes place on Nov. 8.
“California is one of the most prosperous states in the country, and yet, fundamental inequities still exist, including access to safe drinking water,” the report states. “In fact, nearly a million Californians lack access to safe drinking water because they receive water from systems that do not meet water quality standards.”
“It has been less than two months since our report was issued,” Tilden said. “The State Water Board indicated that it was going to work on implementing our recommendations to improve the speed with which it made funds available to water systems with poor water quality. We expect the State Water Board’s first progress report on our recommendations at the end of September.”
Although the water board did not provide a specific timeline with its response to the report, Tilden noted the CSA recommendations included suggested implementation dates largely within the next 12 months.
“When an audit is completed and a report is issued, auditees must provide the State Auditor with information regarding their progress in implementing recommendations from our reports at three intervals from the release of the report: 60 days, six months, and one year,” Tilden said. “Additionally, state law requires auditees who have not implemented recommendations after one year, to report to us and to the Legislature why they have not implemented them or to state when they intend to implement them. The State Water Board’s 60-day response is due later this month.”