San Joaquin Valley: California’s Water Pollution
It’s easy for most of us to turn on our tap water without a second thought. It’s something we take for granted, something that is oftentimes so second-nature that if one day the water came out a different color or reeked of dirt or bleach or another pungent odor, we would be shocked (to say the least). But perhaps this isn’t the case for you. Maybe your water does come out a deep red or a tinted green, or smells like rotten eggs, or is so polluted with chemicals that under no circumstances are you allowed to drink it. Maybe your situation is similar to that of the San Joaquin Valley in California, where nearly 1 million people are forced to live with some of the most contaminated drinking water in the nation. Polluted water is not a topic to take lightly. It is an issue that society does not truly understand when a clean water source is so readily available. But when people are limited to only a few options for clean water, you realize how horrific of a situation it is and how much help is needed for those affected by the water pollution.
In the San Joaquin Valley, nitrate contamination of drinking water sources is a very real issue. The groundwater, which leads through the pipes that provide water to the schools and homes in the community, has significant effects on California’s public health, its economic vitality, and environmental well-being. It is a serious case of environmental justice as it affects a majority of low-income households and Hispanic residents — people that have no relation to those who are actually causing the water quality issues but are still bearing the detrimental costs. Often, these residents are not able to afford the resources necessary to avoid nitrate-contaminated drinking water. Bottled water costs money. Paying for a different pipeline connected to a cleaner water source costs money. Fixing the current water source of the San Joaquin Valley costs money. Potentially being able to avoid or treat nitrate-contaminated water sources creates a great imposition against economic growth in these regions as well. And unfortunately, for many years now, the communities have been left to deal with this pollution on their own.
A report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains that nitrate is an inorganic compound that is actually formed naturally when nitrogen combines with oxygen or ozone. Interestingly, nitrogen is important for all living species, but when in high levels it poses as a serious health risk, especially for infants. These dangerous intensities are caused primarily by irrigated agriculture, overapplication of fertilizer, and confined animal feeding operations. The San Joaquin Valley accounts for more than half of California’s thriving agricultural production, implying that farmers are more likely to be using this nitrogen fertilizer to increase their crop yields to meet production demands. 3
According to research completed from the University of California-Davis, nitrate is one of the state’s most widespread groundwater contaminants. According to the findings, nitrate-contaminated groundwater poses serious health risks to an estimated 254,000 people. 5 The state of California only just started to address the primary source of contamination in the Valley’s five million acres of farmland in 2011. One study done by Thomas Harter and Jay Lund of UC-Davis found that in the main agricultural counties in California, approximately 96% of the nitrate levels had come from the cropland, the most significant sources being the animal manure and nitrogen fertilizer, which has been being added to the soil in greater dosages since 2002 as an effort to try and increase crop productivity. An estimated 740,000 tons of nitrogen fertilizer was applied to 6.7 acres of irrigated farmland in California between the years of 2002 and 2012. 5 The excess chemical, about 80 pounds of nitrogen per one acre every year, that is not absorbed by crops easily dissolves in the water and then filters into the aquifers, polluting the groundwater. Thus, nitrate contamination levels in various public, domestic, and monitoring wells have, in some cases, quadrupled the EPA maximum contaminant level, which sits at 10 mg/L nitrate. 5
In 2002, the University of California reported that 10 to 15% of the overall state’s water supply wells exceeded nitrate standards for drinking water, but in the San Joaquin Valley, the contamination rates were significantly higher — already 24% of domestic wells in the early years of 1993–1995 exceeded the legal limit of nitrate in the water source. 6 In ’93, 12 of these systems violated the nitrate limit in water. In 2007, where 74% of nitrate violations were found in the San Joaquin Valley, there were 44 wells accounted for that exceeded this legal constraint. This increasing exposure to such a dangerous chemical poses great risk to the communities in the Valley. The exposure to nitrate has been affecting families for years, especially for infants.
High nitrate levels in the body limits the oxygen that red blood cells carry. In babies, this is known as methemoglobinemia or “blue baby syndrome”, which can result in severe cases of lethargy, dizziness, and even death. Maternal exposure to excessive nitrate levels has been found to increase the risk of pregnancy complications like anemia, potential premature labor, or preeclampsia. There have also been a few investigations that have looked into the relationship between nitrate levels and cancer risk, and those there is no clear relationship, researchers are still looking into the claims. 3
Many sources that are connected to the Valley and its pollution did not understand what researchers meant when the high levels of nitrate were first being found in the tap water. There were people who asked if the water was supposed to have a pungent smell, be a different color, or taste a certain way, but the water did not change in any noticeable. Today, more and more people have become educated on the nitrate laced in the water system. Many families are still unable to safely drink from the tap and are forced to purchase bottled water. One source referred to a couple that purchased between $40-$45 on bottled water each month, along with $60 for their tap — bringing their total water investment to over $100 every month. 1 And this was for only a couple that was facing this issue. It is difficult to imagine the amount of money families are putting towards the water — if they’re even able to afford to do this in the first place.
Some have hope in the solutions. According to an article released by UC Davis in March of 2018, students in the UC Davis School of Law Aoki Water Justice Clinic have been meeting with the various communities affected by the water pollution and working to secure funding in order to build the infrastructure needed to provide clean water to people. These students are also working with community organizations to change policies to increase the access to safe drinking water for the low-income families in California. 4 This particular issue was focused on in a report entitled, ‘The Struggle for Water Justice in the San Joaquin Valley: A Focus on Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities’. Camille Pannu, the water justice clinic direct at UC Davis is quoted saying, “Within the next decade and with adequate funding, we could solve a problem that has plagued low-income, rural communities for over 50 years.” 4 The communities in the San Joaquin Valley have seen little light at the end of this dark tunnel. However, with activism similar to that of UC Davis, there is growing hope and confidence that families will soon be able to turn on their faucets to clean, refreshing water once again.
Bibliography
“The Human Costs of Nitrate-Contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley.” Pacific Institute, pacinst.org/publication/human-costs-of-nitrate-contaminated-drinking-water-in-the-san-joaquin-valley/.1
“Drinking Water.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 July 2015, www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/wells/disease/nitrate.html.2
“Environmental Health and Medicine Education.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=28&po=10 3
“Thousands in the San Joaquin Valley Have Unsafe Drinking Water, But Clean Water Is Close.” UC Davis, 25 Mar. 2018, www.ucdavis.edu/news/thousands-san-joaquin-valley-have-unsafe-drinking-water-clean-water-close/.4
Shrestha, Anil, and Wei Luo. “Assessment of Groundwater Nitrate Pollution Potential in Central Valley Aquifer Using Geodetector-Based Frequency Ratio (GFR) and Optimized-DRASTIC Methods.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2 June 2018, www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/7/6/211/htm#B4-ijgi-07-00211. 5
Meadows, Robin. “Living in California’s San Joaquin Valley May Harm Your Health.” Water, News Deeply, 14 July 2017, www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/07/05/living-in-californias-san-joaquin-valley-may-harm-your-health. 6
