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Work will advance research to advance the human right to water in disadvantaged California communities

Many rural communities in the Central Valley depend on shallow household wells for their water supply. Frequently, these wells are contaminated by nitrate and other agricultural chemicals, and prone to drying up from prolonged drought. Stewart-Frey and community partner California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) are using science-based advocacy to advance the human right to water in disadvantaged California communities. This project will collect and analyze data on the presence and changes in shallow groundwater contamination that will increase CRLA’s capacity to advocate for safe, sufficient water and ultimately policy change alongside the communities they serve. In addition, this project builds capacity for community-based data collection and spatial data analysis and visualization, and will result in a locally relevant environmental justice data repository to support our work advocating for equitable development, promoting environmental justice, building leadership capacity within the community, and engaging in public decision-making processes to improve neighborhoods. ESS lecturer Jake Dialesandro and several undergraduate student researchers are participating in this work and are funded by this grant.