Webinar: Water Quality and Environmental Justice in the Central Valley

Hundreds of small, rural communities in California and across the United States rely on unsafe drinking water sources that their modest means cannot mitigate. But why do such conditions exist in a country where most of the population has access to piped, potable water, and despite a history of investment in sophisticated infrastructure and drinking water laws? Our November 2014 webinar with 2009 Switzer Fellow Dr. Carolina Balazs focused on drinking water quality and environmental justice issues facing communities in California’s Central Valley.

Dr. Balazs, a post-doctoral scholar at UC Davis and former research scientist with the Community Water Center, provided an overview of some of the key health and environmental justice issues regarding water, and explored a range of possible solutions being implemented to address these problems, focusing on recent integrated regional water management efforts.

Questions that were addressed during the webinar include:

• What are the key drinking water issues in the Central Valley?
• What is the role of regional planning?
• What is the relationship with environmental justice?

We welcome your feedback on this webinar in the Comments section below.