“Most of the communities we work with have only one or two wells, so if a well becomes polluted, they don’t have a safe water source,” said Laurel Fires- tone, co-director and co-founder of the Community Water Center, the Visalia- based nonprofi t that advocates for the drinking water needs of DACs. Firestone cited the State Water


Board’s recommendation for a more sustainable and reliable funding source as impetus for stakeholders to build that framework. “It’s never easy to fi gure out how to raise revenue and funding sources,” she said. “We have to have those diffi cult discussions.” Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), acknowledged that “the nitrate problem is a really big deal and will be front and center in the Legislature this year,” but that dealing with it needs to be done in a realistic manner.


“The mess is like many others across the coun- try – in a frenzy of economic growth in the 20th century,


potatoes require high amounts of fertil- izer and frequent irrigation. Properly managed, nitrogen does not endanger health and can increase crop production. However, when more nitrogen is added to the soil than plants can use, excess nitrate can leach into groundwater supplies and contaminate wells. On-site sewage systems such as septic tanks and dairy waste lagoons are also a source of nitrate pollution. Because nitrate is converted to nitrite, a very toxic substance, through the digestive process of human infants, nitrate-contaminated water is a serious problem.


It is estimated that between 10 percent and 15 percent of California’s community-supply wells have nitrate at more than 10 parts per million (ppm), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water standard. A ppm is equal to four drops per 55 gallons of liquid.


To watch the video “How It Works: Nitrates from Field to Faucet” by California Watch


we created some serious environmental problems that must be addressed now,” he wrote in an e-mail. “We think we should move forward with on-the- ground solutions to the problem of nitrate contamination in groundwater and leave the ‘blame game’ on the side of the room.” This issue of Western Water discusses the problems of nitrate-con- taminated water in small disadvantaged communities and possible solutions.


A Byproduct of Human Activity Nitrate is the primary source of nitro- gen for plants. It occurs naturally in soil but dissipates with extensive farm- ing so nitrogen fertilizers are applied. Fertilizers increase crop yields, but even under the best conditions plants use only 70 percent to 90 percent of it. Some is lost to the atmosphere, some to surface water, and – in California’s fl at valleys – much to groundwater. Vegetables such as carrots, onions and


March/April 2013 Many wells


are located in the San Joaquin Valley, which falls under the purview of the


Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Re- gional Board). The agency is well aware of the problem and is confronting it through several venues. “Our Board has been zeroing in on nitrates and salt,” wrote Pamela Creedon, executive offi cer of the Board, in an email. “We have our Groundwater Quality Protec- tion Strategy, CV SALTS [Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long- Term Sustainability] and our dairy and agriculture regulatory programs. All are source control programs with the exception of CV SALTS, which will also address remedies for drinking water impaired by salts and nitrates.” The State Water Board’s Febru- ary report says that “while nearly all [community water systems] provide safe drinking water that meets health standards, a certain number of ground- water supplies have contaminants that are not treated before delivery.” Fur- thermore, about 2 million people rely


This leaf color chart helps evaluate the nitrogen status in rice leaves.


“Now that we have this heightened awareness of the problem, we need to drill down and create site-specifi c solutions.”


– David Orth, Kings River


Conservation District


Hear more of the interview with David Orth


7


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