- Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative.
There’s about a 50-50 chance the tap water that 10,000 rural Kings County residents are drinking is contaminated with nitrates.
That’s a type of salt that can be toxic, even lethal to newborns, causing what’s commonly known as “blue baby syndrome.”
Starting in February 2025 rural residents will be able to have their water tested for free thanks to a new program under the Kings Water Alliance. The free testing program was featured during a webinar on August 27 where water alliance Executive Director Debra Dunn explained the risks.
“One in two wells are impacted by nitrates, making those wells unsafe to drink in the Kings County area,” Dunn said during the webinar.
These are wells outside of public systems, where water is routinely tested and treated for harmful chemicals.
According to an analysis by the water alliance, wells southwest and east of Lemoore and Hanford are projected to test for elevated levels of nitrate, Dunn said.
Nitrate contamination can occur when fertilizer, pesticides, livestock waste, septic tanks or industrial and food processing waste leaks into the groundwater. It can lead to diarrhea, dehydration and the inability to carry sufficient oxygen to the body, Dunn said. Infants, pregnant women, nursing mothers and those above 65 are at a higher risk of nitrate toxicity.
The Kings Water Alliance governs the Kings Management Zone, which includes the Kings and Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin, as part of a nitrate control program mandated by the state. The program helps provide testing and potable water solutions, such as offering free bottled water deliveries to households with high-nitrate wells, Dunn said. It is funded by nitrate polluters, including farming operations, manufacturers and others.
The nitrate control program was launched in 2021. It carved up the San Joaquin Valley into several management zones, which cover large swaths of groundwater basins from Modesto to Kern counties. Within those zones, collaboratives such as the Kings Water Alliance, have formed to pinpoint contaminated wells and get clean water to residents.
The program had a slow start in the San Joaquin Valley due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within nine months, nearly 700 wells were tested and 455 households received bottled water deliveries due to the contaminant level of nitrate.
The Kings Water Alliance offers free, safe drinking water at fill stations in Hanford, Kerman and Dinuba. Available 365 days a year, the water provided at the stations is pulled from a municipal water supply, which is regularly tested and the stations themselves are cleaned every three to five days, Dunn said.
Fill station locations:
- 504 W. 7th St., Hanford
- 15101 W. Kearney Blvd., Kerman
- 517 W. El Monte Way, Dinuba
The water alliance has completed about 1,100 free well tests and provided bottled water to more than 700 households in Fresno and Tulare counties, Dunn said.
She recommended that residents sign up for the water alliance’s email list, social media and participate in advisory meetings. The next advisory meeting will be October 17 at 12 p.m.
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