Susana De Anda
California | April 9, 2025 | Listen on Spotify
If you have contaminated drinking water in your tap, the issue permeates every part of daily life. From healthcare to “filter sharks” to advocacy on every level, no one understands the drinking water issue in California better than Susana De Anda. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Community Water Center, Susana is an expert in community organizing and building a movement in which residents are empowered to engage in local governance and stand up for their right to clean and affordable drinking water. Susana says that building solutions in collaboration with residents is the key to building trust, and compels us all to become more informed about drinking water quality in our own neighborhoods.
“Part of our job is to make sure that that voice is respected and heard to create change, to be considered and strategizing for the solution. To understand that we don’t need someone to come down and tell us what to do, that people are open to understanding that bottom-up strategies are what works to sustain change.”
— Susana De Anda, Community Water Center
Transcript
Ayana Harscoet (00:33)
Hi, Susana. Thank you so much for joining me today. I’m really excited to have you here on at the Water Table. And if you would just like to introduce yourself and your work to the audience.
Susana De Anda (00:45)
Happy to and thank you for this opportunity to join you all. My name is Susana de Anda. I am the executive director and co-founder of Community Water Center. We believe safe affordable drinking water is a basic human right and it should not be a privilege. We’ve been working in California for almost two decades. In California, it’s very clear water flows towards money and power and we’re trying to shift that.
Ayana Harscoet (01:14)
Yeah, absolutely. I’m just curious about you, yourself. How did you arrive at this work? You know, why water? Why does this matter to you?
Susana De Anda (01:21)
Why water? You know, I do believe that there’s two main things every human deserves to have. There’s a basic right to survive and thrive in this world, and that’s water and air. I have the privilege of working in the state of California in an area where it’s not a basic right. I have a privilege of working directly with impacted residents in California that don’t have this basic necessity as a basic right, which means that in California over a million residents are exposed to illegal and unsafe levels of contaminants found in their tap water in their home in the safest place that people should feel safe and that’s not the reality. The vast majority of our public water systems and private wells in California don’t have safe drinking water and they’re heavily found in the Central Valley and the Central Coast. There’s plenty of studies that show that if you look like me, you’re a person of color and you’re low income and you live in these areas, you have higher chances of having unpotable drinking water.
Because of that reality, I am a human. I believe that access to safe drinking water should be a basic right and a necessity that needs to be prioritized for residents in the state of California. And I feel a privilege of working alongside with impacted residents who, one, understand their drinking water, two, are inspired to take action, and three, to work alongside with them to really change the system to provide this basic necessity in California.
Ayana Harscoet (02:46)
Yeah, for sure. Thank you so much for sharing that. Would love to hear, you know, a little bit more about how y’all are working to do that. Who do you work with? What’s your organization up to? How does that all unfold?
Susana De Anda (03:01)
Yeah, you know, at Community Water Center, we are building a movement for community-driven water solutions through organizing, advocacy, education, and technical assistance. And it’s really important that we diversify our strategies to bring about this change. So for the last 20 years, Community Water Center has been uplifting this reality, but more importantly, really driving the solutions we need to see on the ground. You know, a couple of years ago, we started the foundation by which we now work towards.
In California in 2012, we were able to pass the human right to water that now bylaws states that residents and communities need to have safe drinking water while that’s not a reality right now, we’re working towards to change that reality and making a dream and a reality for many, families. So when we passed the human right to water, which was the first law in the country, it really raised awareness and amplified the current conditions that a lot of families are living in.
You know, for the most part, a lot of residents are having to pay twice for water, because their surface is unpotable drinking water, so they need to find alternative water supplies. So in essence, they’re paying twice for water for water they can’t drink, and they’re forced to make these tough decisions by, you know, having to buy alternative water supply. So when we talk about access to safe drinking water, we also have to be really mindful that we need to protect our drinking water from further contamination. We need to prioritize drinking water for residents who haven’t had that for a long time. And we need to make sure that we have reliable funding to solve this issue in California. Because of this reality, we have been able to pass really important laws to ensure that we continue to prioritize drinking water for residents in California. We managed to pass SB 200, which allocates $130 million each year for the next 10 years, well now it’s less than that, to really solve the interim and long-term solutions in our communities. Prior to this funding, we had no funding available to really tackle this issue and really solve it. So as the movement has really risen and amplified the conditions that no one needs to live in, we’ve also been very vocal in leveraging resources to continue to solve this crisis on the ground. And it’s important to realize that every community deserves different approaches to solving their drinking water crisis. So there is no universal solution to everybody. In some situations, we have to consolidate systems. In some areas, we need to bring in the proper filtration. That said, it’s really important to understand that no one in this country and in the state of California should wake up and fear drinking tap water because they’re afraid of becoming sick. The type of contaminants that we’re seeing in our drinking water are very detrimental to our health. We’re talking about nitrates, arsenic, 123 TCP, uranium, perchlorate. And so it’s important to really understand your drinking water so that we can bring in the right resources to solve this crisis.
Ayana Harscoet (05:48)
Yeah, 100%. And, and as you were speaking, I was having this question that I think you answered in part, but it sounds like, you know, you’re doing a lot of really important work at the state level, but that is deeply informed by your connection to your local community and what folks on the ground are saying and needing. So how does that work translate? You know, like, as you said, there is no one size fits all solution, but it’s also true that everyone needs to have their right to water protected. So I’m curious, like, how do you sort of transform those local needs into state policy? Or like, how are you working at the local level and in what ways is it connected?
Susana De Anda (06:30)
Yeah, I really appreciate that question. I think it’s really important that once individual residents understand that their drinking water is not safe to drink, then the question is, what do I do about it? And that’s when we have a menu of advocacy strategies to engage impacted residents to drive the change they want to see in their community. And that’s really important to work alongside with impacted residents, really solve the issue from bottom up. And so in this case, I’ll give you a good example. You know, every month we’ve been meeting with a coalition called AGUA that we created almost 20 years ago.
AGUA is made up of residents, residents from the central Valley and in the central coast, all of them dealing with unprofitable drinking water, unaffordable water rates and really undemocratic governance structures. So what we’ve done, we built a movement of residents dealing with this reality in different areas in the state of California. And so when we’re working alongside residents, we talked about policy recommendations and opportunities to leverage and bring resources. We knew firsthand that this reality was intentional. A lot of our communities where we get to work have been on the waiting list for resources, have not been properly invested in water planning. So then you have this disadvantage of proper investments in our communities. And it’s happened for a long time. And so part of really making sure that we create bottom-up strategies of being in tune and organizing and connecting and listening to residents to understand, one, the reality, and two, co-create solutions on the ground.
When you do that, you have an empowered base of residents that become advocates from themselves. And our job is just to guide that movement towards change. And so a lot of that is becoming advocates at their local level with their local water board provider. One, ensure what, are they doing about it? And two, for some residents, they’re inclined to become a decision maker at the local level. So we work with a lot of residents to take more ownership of their local water board locally. And then we understand that there’s, you know, regional and state strategies that need to leverage with reality. So then these members are able to advocate in Sacramento to push for strategic, equitable resources to bring relief to our drinking water. And I think it’s really powerful to continue to really empower the base for residents to speak for themselves. And our job is just to provide the opportunity for them to engage in specific spaces.
Ayana Harscoet (08:46)
I think what you’re describing of, you know, everything that folks are facing and experiencing, I think the story that you’re telling is one that is felt and heard all across the country, you know, regardless of where folks are. there’s a lot of places facing similar issues with water rights and access to clean, safe, affordable drinking water. And I’m sure some folks are at different places in this journey locally and would see that you’re building this movement and wonder how can I do that too, where I’m at, because where I’m at, we don’t have that yet. We haven’t, we aren’t there yet. And I’m wondering if you’d be able to share a bit of how do you, yeah, how do you get something up off the ground like that? How do you build trust with folks? How do you get people in the room when folks are so busy and so spread thin and there’s so much other stuff to worry about, you know, like how do you bring this issue to the forefront and build that power amongst people?
Susana De Anda (09:44)
I love that question and I think it’s important to recognize that as you build movements, as you build trust, it’s all about strategic organizing and have an empathy at the forefront. So that means that we have to be deep listeners. And when you listen to people and you co-create solutions, you naturally create trust. And I think it all starts with being mindful of how you show up to listen to people. early on, it was door knocking. Going door to door in areas where I knew people didn’t have to drinking water. And I wanted to understand if they had the understanding of their drinking water quality. And it was no surprise that a lot of residents just feared tap water because of what they’ve heard in the news, or they just feared it. And they didn’t quite understand the drinking water quality of their source. So part of our job was to listen and then think of ways to provide support. So as we were door knocking and as we continue to door knock, we’re really mindful of meeting people where they’re at and having clear exchanges of knowledge in a respectful manner, which means you speak in a language that people understand, you are mindful of how they share. And I naturally believe that people are ready for change. You just have to offer opportunities and people become empowered and feel that they can create change in their community. And that to me is how you want to build a movement because you don’t want to handicap people to believe that they need you for everything. That is not how you want to build a movement. And so it starts with understanding your drinking water.
So a lot of just basic information for yourself to be more informed is key. So where does your water come from? What is your water quality? What type, when does your board meet? What are they doing to fix it? And then what is your opportunity to engage, to bring relief? And I really do believe it’s about creating a movement of curiosity, of empathy and trust and change and next steps and follow through. And what we’ve seen here in California is going community by community, the story is relatively the same, but it’s about listening to people, creating those trust and creating systems where people don’t feel threatened. So when you organize in a community through time, we create a community based group. And why that’s important is because a lot of our communities, people are afraid to speak up. So when you create a committee, you have an umbrella of protection, a space of solidarity, of strategy, of thought partnership. And I really do believe as we work with impacted residents, we’re thought partners and giving people that space and respect is how you really build that trust and and love for a movement to achieve in our case, you know, a reliable safe drinking water that’s fair rates, we have affordable rates for all residents. You know, it’s not okay to have treated water at a high cost. We have to look at affordability as we solve these issues because a lot of our residents are hardworking familias, are farm worker communities that are working really hard for their families and are still having to make tough trade-offs on making sure that they have safe drinking water. And I also want to say, you know, that’s stressful reality. You know, families have to make sure that when they have additional family coming to visit them, they have an alternative water supply, more water available, and they have to remind residents if they’re going to brush their teeth, not to drink the water while they brush their teeth. So you have to understand that this is a real system of stress. So as we’re solving this reality, a lot of our residents, while they may have safe drinking water, they’re still part of a movement to ensure that other residents and other families have the same reality.
Ayana Harscoet (13:00)
Yeah, for sure. I think that’s really powerful. And I really love the way you described, you know, not just the importance of strategic organizing, but also that hand in hand with leading with empathy and door knocking and listening to individuals and what they need and where they’re at. That’s what builds trust. That’s what builds like the heart of a movement and a collective.
And as you’re building this movement and as things are expanding and more people are getting brought in, What is the vision that this movement is reaching towards? What are you imagining for people to have in that future?
Susana De Anda (13:37)
The future is achievable and I believe that we want to have all environmental justice communities thriving where residents can drink tap water without the fear of becoming sick or they don’t have to bathe their babies with alternative water supply, where they can pay for affordable water rates. They have a system there. That to me is resiliency and that opens up a world of, you know, driving change in our communities, you know, without having safe drinking water, limits all economic development. So in our communities, we don’t have Whole Foods. We don’t have a farmer’s market necessarily. We don’t have access to good food because water limits all growth. And I do believe that in the near future, when we start solving this crisis, our communities are going to be resilient and sustainable and residents are driving the change they want to see in their community. And to me, I I believe in that. I see that hope. I already see that happening. It’s just a matter of making sure that we achieve this sooner rather than later. A lot of our residents are passing on. And I want to make sure that residents are a part of this journey and live a day of safe drinking water from their tap. And I do think that’s achievable and that’s going to require all of us to understand that we have a role in solving this. It’s going to take a whole movement in the country and our state to solve this. The part of our job is to ensure that we also bring together other allies and stakeholders or collaborators who understand the role in making this reality for everybody in California and in the country.
Ayana Harscoet (15:06)
Thank you so much for drawing that connection of, you know, water is the foundation, water is with clean water so much more as possible. And not just the waters that’s coming from the tap but the water that sustains our farms and crops and people. And then when you just mentioned at the end there, bringing in other stakeholders: Who are you working with primarily that is helping to advance this movement?
Susana De Anda (15:32)
Yeah, you know, early on in this movement, we realized that impacted residents voices was the one voice that was not in any space. So now our whole focus is to ensure that impacted residents, are in spaces where they need to speak up for themselves. And that’s both in regulatory spaces and legislative spaces and federal spaces as well. Part of our job is to make sure that that voice is respected and heard to create change, to be considered and strategizing for the solution. To understand that we don’t need someone to come down and tell us what to do, that people are open to understanding that bottom-up strategies is what works to sustain change.
And so part of that, we in California, we’ve been working with a lot of allies to come to the table to strategize collectively to have a broader movement of residents. So we’re talking with key allies in the state. We’re also connecting with other allies across the country to learn about, you know, water rates, you know, with we, the people of Detroit, with residents in, in, in Texas. There, it’s clear that in this country, there’s a real opportunity to create a federal movement of awareness and also how do we leverage strategies and support for all the states to then implement in the best way possible. I can only speak for California. You know, we created SAFER as a result of SB 200 when we were able to pass a piece of legislation to bring in massive funding for interim and long-term relief for our residents.
And so we’ve created this program called Safer and we’ve also had residents that are part of the advisory council to ensure that they’re implementing the funding effectively, which is not always the best reality when you’re working with government because government works at a different pace. And when you’re creating something new, there’s a lot of hesitation to making sure that everything’s perfect. We get me to do things and learn from that and adapt because not have, I mean, you have to work with everybody to really figure things out, but I’m a big believer in it to do it.
And then let’s learn from it as well. And so I think Safer is a really good example in California, how we, it’s one way to bring in more resources for our communities. It’s not perfect, but it’s something that we really, we fought hard for. And that took a movement. It took decision makers. It took allies. It took impacted residents. It took strategies with media to really bring this together. And I really believe that we all have a role in ensuring that everyone in this country can have safe drinking water from their tap and that our water rates are affordable.
Ayana Harscoet (17:49)
And there is is an urgency to that. There is a really critical need for that. So I appreciate your the way you approach things of, know, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Let’s just make something happen and we’ll figure it out from there. A lot of times, you know, things do get really caught up and sort of stuck as we’re waiting to make something as good as it can be when in fact, what we need is that immediate action. I’m curious if there are any other, you know, similar lessons or approaches that you’ve sort of come across that you think might be really helpful for other folks in this work to hear.
Susana De Anda (18:26)
You know, I think the other main thing that I kind of want to highlight is the importance of really, you know, for those of us that want to be part of a decision making structure, in this case, a water governance board, to lose, I often feel like the advocates know much more of how to run a system than folks that have been on systems for decades, because had they solved it, we wouldn’t be in this situation. So I think another piece to the puzzle is making sure that impacted residents step up to the game and become decision makers to take control of their communities. And that means, you know, babysitters, bus drivers, grandparents, whatever really wants to make sure that you can be part of a decision strategy to bring relief to your community. It’s just so important to lose that fear and to just do it. And there’s a lot of resources for that to happen. You know, at Community Water Center, we work with a lot of impacted residents to join local water boards and our job is just to sustain them and to create a network of support. And that’s the Community Water Leaders Network (CWLN), which is a network for residents and people that took on that responsibility that are on these governance structures that still need that added support to be a progressive water decision maker. And part of that means making sure that we also listen to the kind of support that they need. often it’s part of, so often are things like reviewing a budget, making sure that we have translation policies available. That we review the waterage structures. And a lot of that, feel like without having a support system, that’s when you get into trouble of residents or decision makers not knowing what they’re doing and they’re not informed in what they’re doing and they’re causing more damage than good. So I really believe that we need to take ownership of our systems and continue to have the right support for residents to thrive.
Ayana Harscoet (20:10)
Yeah, I’d love to hear a bit more about these community water boards too, if you’d like to share. Are those pre-existing?
Susana De Anda (20:16)
Happy to, you know, there’s a lot of systems in California that residents that are on these systems have never been competed. So they’re just on there for decades, which means that they, you know, they probably don’t have the right capacity and training and resources available for 2025. So when you have that reality, I call that untapped power. What we need to do is be mindful of these systems, figure out who’s on the board. What kind of resources do they need? And in some cases we need a shift in leadership.
And so this is where our C4 sister organization is really key in helping us identify opportunities of vacancies to what we call flip leadership, to bring in new people into the board structure for new minds, new strategies, new solutions. And so we’ve done this locally in some of our local water boards where we’re able to have residents who are super inspired to be part of a decision-making structure and they’ve joined these boards. Now I do think that the strategy there should be, you wanna go into these boards with a team, you know, if you have two vacancies, you want to bring in two people so you have a buddy system so you don’t feel intimidated.
You have to understand that a lot of these systems are not welcoming change. Humans are afraid of change and they hold on to what they call power. And so often that’s way more detrimental than positive for our community. So that’s why it’s important that when people want to join boards, that we go in it as a slate, as a team, so that we can really start shifting dynamics. And I really do believe that, you know, in order for us to solve this drinking water crisis,
You know, we can leverage resources, we can bring in pipeline, we can bring in treatment, we can do all that, but the hardest piece and the critical piece is the social infrastructure, what governs these systems. It’s the human component, and we really need to be mindful to provide the right capacity, the right support, so that we can still continue to drive the long-term changes we want to see in our community.
Ayana Harscoet (22:06)
Yes, I’m so glad you mentioned that aspect of social infrastructure because I think that is such a key part that doesn’t always get the weight that it really has. And I love this idea of untapped power, think, as opposed to, you know, having to create something or having to, you know, go out looking for it. It’s right there. And you just need to transform that space or that existing thing into something that will actually serve people and help people. Yeah, and I wonder, are there any other cases of this untapped power that you see? Like what other opportunities exist that you think folks could be looking into or more advantage of in their communities?
Susana De Anda (22:52)
Well, you know, I think it starts one as an individual to figure out what your drinking water worries is coming from. Be curious about it. Get interested. Learn about the board. Learn how long they’ve been on the board. And if there’s an opportunity, think about that. And I think reach out to CWC or other organizations that are doing this type of work to get that kind of support. So often, once we train people in laws and regulations, not that hard. We demystify what seems to be a professional job to be a real job. And so part of our job is to provide the capacity and to troubleshoot things.
And so I think that is really critical. I also feel like in order for us to solve this, it’s really important that we’re also reaching out to other collaborators or other spaces to inform them of this reality. And so in this case, I would, I like to say that our medical community is a key area that needs to be informed, educated, because so often what’s happening is a lot of our residents are ended up in the ER or they’re going to community clinics. And some of these clinics don’t even have to drinking water from their fountains.
They have arsenic or TCP or nitrates. So you go to the doctor to get better, but if you drink that tap water, again, it’s not a good scenario. But what’s happening is a lot of the medical community is not asking residents, what kind of tap water are you drinking? What are you exposed to? So then that goes to misdiagnoses. And we know there’s plenty of studies that show if you’re drinking water with high levels of nitrates, it can have some serious impacts. Same thing with arsenic. We’re talking about cancers, kidney disease, the blue baby syndrome with nitrates. So it’s real. And I feel like when the medical community is not informed and asking the right questions, that’s a missed opportunity to diagnose things correctly. And also I feel like the medical community has a responsibility to understand the drinking water quality of their patients.
Ayana Harscoet (24:37)
Thank you for mentioning that because that’s an aspect of clean water that I actually haven’t heard spoken about too much, at least in the work that I’ve been doing. But once you say it, it is so clear how crucial that is. Until we have clean water for everyone, folks are going to be experiencing some of these health impacts. And if they’re not making those connections, then yeah, that’s really challenging.
Susana De Anda (25:01)
And I also feel like that’s a missed opportunity because of the medical community would be aware of it. There’s a real opportunity for advocacy there too. And I think, you know, the medical community has a responsibility to step up to the plate and become an advocate to ensure that their patients have a reliable safe drinking water. So they’re not being exposed to, you know, contamination that can get them really sick. I know for a fact that I know a lot of our residents are going to the ER when they’re getting sick. When the ER doctors are not asking the right question, they’re misdiagnosing things. they’re making, you know, the blue baby syndrome is a real problem. When a mother is ingesting high levels of nitrates, the baby will suffocate, the oxygen will not absorb and so it turns blue. And so often I feel like that can get misdiagnosed for SIDS. And so it’s a real concern in our residents. you know, it goes back to low-income people of color being respected and doctors being mindful of what they’re exposed to so that they’re properly diagnosed. And it just adds to our narrative that everyone needs to have safe drinking water and that we all have a responsibility to advocate for that.
Ayana Harscoet (26:05)
Yeah. Are you currently doing outreach to medical communities and what has that been looking like?
Susana De Anda (26:12)
You know, we have been doing that and also I think a lot of our residents are doing the advocacy themselves. We had a situation in the local clinic in Kern County where a resident was going to the doctor and the local clinic literally had a sign saying don’t drink tap water because we have high levels of arsenic. And so she then said like, I’m coming to the doctor to get better, but you’re exposing me to dangerous contaminants. And that started a really good conversation of you’re right. The medical community needs to have access to better understanding, at minimum of where the clinics are. And what kind of reliable source of water they’re receiving. And so it’s the beginning, it’s happening, but I think that we need to be more mindful and aware that at a national scale, our medical community needs to understand potable drinking water from where their patients live. And I really don’t think that’s a difficult strategy, it’s just something that we need to be mindful and intentional in providing that kind of research.
Ayana Harscoet (27:05)
I think that really illustrates the reach of drinking water is an important issue, right? It can have such major long-term impacts.
Susana De Anda (27:19)
Absolutely. And I think it’s also really important that our residents are really mindful of what I call filter sharks. You know, a lot of our communities are being attacked by filter companies that come into our area saying, you if you buy this filter, you’re going to have safe drinking water forever. Well, that may be the case. It might not be the case. A part of our job is to also inform residents to understand that because in the area where we don’t have safe drinking water, we’re making a lot of momentum. People know. So naturally, companies are coming into our area. So it’s important that residents want to understand the drinking water quality, understand that the filtration device that they’re trying to sell them is certified by the state to remove that contaminant, and then making sure that it’s affordable. And I think so often I’m hearing stories of residents saying, you know, they’re selling like a $4,000 system, come to find out it’s a water softener. So as we build this movement, we have to be really mindful of having the right information to make informed decisions, especially when it comes to filters.
Ayana Harscoet (28:15)
Yeah, oof, that’s really tough, know, folks trying to capitalize on that. And it sounds like, you know, the reason that so many of these different sides of the issue are in clear focus is because, yeah, folks are telling you things and you’re listening to them. And I think that is just so powerful and so truly the way that we need to approach this across all communities facing the same issues. And I would love to hear a bit more about what’s on the horizon as far as goals for the year or in the near future.
Susana De Anda (28:51)
Yeah, know, a couple of things. One is we are ongoing organizing, making sure we’re connected with our base and we’re listening and we’re being a conduit to what’s happening in our community. So that’s a priority. And I think it kind of shows when things come up, we naturally get the call. And I think it’s important to be a true center for community-driven water solutions and be accessible to residents is really going to be key. I think this year we’re pushing for affordability. You know that there’s no low income program for assistance with water at the federal, much less at the state level. It’s really important that as we solve these issues, we’re also considering affordability as part of the equation. I’m tired of listening to residents having to pay twice for water. We’re talking about high expensive water bills. So as we solve this crisis, we gotta be thinking about affordability. So this year we’re running another bill to continue the momentum to talk about affordability here in the state of California. In addition to that, I think it’s really important to understand that
We’re currently driving change on the ground with a lot of our technical assistance projects. I’m well aware that at the federal level, there’s a lot of rollbacks. That’s a huge loss to a lot of our movement work. And while that’s happening at the federal level, I think a lot of the control and focus that we have this year is focused on our state, our state agencies, making sure that they don’t listen to the federal narrative necessarily of that fear factor of not investing in our communities. We’re not going to stand for that. I think it’s important that we continue the momentum to focus with state agencies.
Both at the local region and state level to ensure that they’re aware that we need to continue to find funding to continue to drive the change on the ground. There’s a lot of pushback on the expense of these projects and I would tell you, yeah, they’re very expensive, but it’s no surprise. There’s been no economic investment in our communities. So the longer we delay, the reality is that it’s gonna be more expensive. So part of our focus is to continue to push forward on our technical assistance projects to ensure that they’re funded so that we continue to to solve that on the ground.
Ayana Harscoet (30:46)
Yeah, and I mean, certainly the federal turbulence makes that more challenging, but it’s great to hear that you’ve really been pushing things forward at the state level despite all that. Yeah, well, for anyone listening in, do you have any last words of advice or any actions that you think folks can start taking if they are interested in building something similar in their home communities or maybe don’t know where exactly to begin?
Susana De Anda (31:17)
I think it all starts with figuring out what’s in your drinking water, understanding your water quality. If you’re on a domestic well, at least in the state of California, it is your job to test for it. We have a program that can help with that. But it all starts with really understanding your drinking water quality. And for some people that are unaware, well, get informed. Maybe you do have safe water. Maybe you don’t. So often, a lot of these water quality reports seem to be very complicated. They’re really not. They’re not that complicated. You can always call your water provider and ask for your CCR report, the consumer confidence report. That’s a report from last year, but it’s a good indication of your water quality and the kind of solutions that the board is working on. Worst case scenario, have them explain that to you or reach out to us. We do that all the time. We talk about what is the MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level), what is the public health goal for all these contaminants. We break it down in a way that people really understand. And once you have access to that, then the plan unfolds.
If you don’t have safe drinking water, we’re more than happy to support you to figure out how you can achieve safe drinking water, it all starts at the local level. And I think it’s really important for those of you that do have safe drinking water to still be part of the movement so that all of us can have that reality that you have. Because the reality is, at least in California, over a million people don’t have that reality. So I think the call to action is to get informed, be curious about your drinking water, and understand your water rates. If there’s an increase, know, have them, you know, part of water rate increases is making sure that the district or the local water board describes why they need to increase the water rates. And if you feel like that’s not fair, there’s ways to block that, but become informed. I think so often these institutions and these government spaces are not, they don’t welcome input, but we need to make sure that we provide that input and that we engage and become informed. And I think that’s where it starts.
Ayana Harscoet (33:09)
Yeah, absolutely. And it’s really incredible to see that, like starting at that seed of that local knowledge and being informed at that very individual level, blossoming out into this whole collective movement. that’s really the future that I think so many folks around the country are really, really hoping for and dreaming of. And I think it’s always really heartening to hear the good work that’s being done across the country and the ways that we are all connected in this movement. So I really appreciate you sharing your side of that story.
Susana De Anda (33:49)
Thank you. We are thirsty for justice and I believe we can achieve our mission. I believe that we can have residents wake up and drink tap water without the fear of becoming sick. I believe in a world where moms don’t have to worry that their children take bottled water in their backpacks because the school fountains are not potable. I believe in that and I think we can achieve that and it’s going to require people that have safe drinking water to be part of this movement as well.
