20 Year Fight for Water Justice
For Immediate Release
April 22, 2026
Contact:
Kevyn Tinoco, Tulare CountyResource Management Agency, 559-502-6858, ktinoco@tularecounty.ca.gov
Maraid Jimenez, Community Water Center, 916-813-1406, maraid.jimenez@communitywatercenter.org
20 Year Fight for Water Justice
East Orosi Celebrates Groundbreaking to Achieve Safe Water
East Orosi, Calif. — Today, on Earth Day, the unincorporated community of East Orosi in Tulare County hit a key milestone to achieve their Human Right to Water by breaking ground on their safe drinking water project. Many families in this area currently rely on drinking water contaminated with unhealthy levels of nitrates. This is water families need to drink, cook, shower and carry out other everyday tasks. Studies show exposure to nitrates can cause blue baby syndrome, low blood pressure and can lead to cancer, marking this water consolidation project a step towards a healthier community.
“This is a wonderful experience and a big change going from AGUA Youth to advocating as a leader and mother since now my kids keep me motivated. I don't want them stressing that they can't drink the water and they should be comfortable where they live,” said Miriam Sanchez, East Orosi AGUA Member. “Communities need to keep speaking up and when one community wins, we are not fighting for just us, we are fighting for all Californians to have clean water.”
In 2005, residents formed the community based organization Vecinos Unidos (Neighbors United) in response to the contamination of their water. This group then engaged in advocating for safe and affordable drinking water solutions and through a Preliminary Engineering Report decided that connecting to Orosi Public Utilities Board (OPUD) was most sustainable. In their efforts to implement that solution they were met with collaboration from Tulare County, and support from the State Water Boards to issue mandatory consolidation orders. In 2024, community oriented leadership in OPUD showed their support for the project marking full support for solutions to be implemented today.
“Today did not start now, it started years ago with trips to Sacramento because East Orosi refused to accept that other communities should have clean water and not theirs, navigating uncertainty year after year,” said Supervisor Eddie Valero with Tulare County Board of Supervisors. “In 2022 Tulare County stepped in to help the East Orosi Water System and alongside strong collaborators we see hope renewed. We need communities to stay engaged and continue holding us accountable to advance the Human Right to Water.”
The State Water Boards were also a critical partner in funding technical assistance for this project through the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (“The Fund”) established in 2019 when Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 200 (Sen. Monning) into law. Since then, The Fund has provided $2.3 million for technical support that set the groundwork necessary for the success of the consolidation project. The fund has also mobilized $15 million applied to a variety of projects that include hauled and bottled water, technical assistance, and water system repairs responding to community needs, exactly what SAFER was intended to do.
"Today's groundbreaking is a significant milestone because of how hard and long you, the community of East Orosi, had to fight to make it happen. But you persevered, you advocated, and above all, you built partnerships with the County, Orosi PUD, and the State Water Board. Today, the promise of having safe drinking water in your homes is finally becoming real," said State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel at today's groundbreaking. "Our commitment to East Orosi is unwavering, because it is in communities like East Orosi, which have gone without safe drinking water the longest, that California keeps its promise to make access to safe, clean, affordable water a human right."
As a result we are seeing real change take shape for an unincorporated community in an agricultural area of Tulare county. Up to 106 households homes will now be connected to safe drinking water as part of a long term solution, a relief to over 400 residents who have been relying on bottled water. This progress also gives hopes for other communities who are looking towards tools like SAFER to achieve reliable long term solutions.
Today’s success is only possible because of community leadership, political will, regulatory support, and local collaboration. The SAFER Program and Proposition 68 have been critical for communities and local leadership to make progress on the Human Right to Water. We need to keep supporting efforts that make a difference and this means we have to work together for a future where SAFER is fully funded and where we keep breaking ground on infrastructure projects until all Californians have safe water.
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Community Water Center (CWC) works to ensure that all communities have reliable access to safe, clean, and affordable water. Founded in 2006, CWC is a not-for-profit environmental justice organization, whose mission is to act as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through education, organizing, and advocacy.
Web: www.communitywatercenter.org.
Twitter: @CWaterC
Facebook: @CommunityWaterCenter
