Wednesday, Mar 16 2011 4:44PM
Many low-income residents of California's San Joaquin Valley must purchase bottled water since their source supply is contaminated with nitrates.
More than 1 million residents of California's rural San Joaquin Valley are periodically exposed to tainted drinking water.
A study by the Pacific Institute found that it would cost the state at least $150 million to clean up
water system services across the region that have been exposed to pollutants such as fertilizers, sewage and animal waste. As a result, many low-income families in the area have been forced to purchase bottled water in addition to their usual water service, resulting in unaffordable monthly bills.
Some families must pay more than $100 per month to receive drinking water free of the nitrates contaminating many area water sources. In Tulare County, one of the nation's most productive farming counties, the state discovered that 70 out of 181 tap-water wells were tainted with nitrates.
So far, the source said there has been no investigation of local health problems in the affected communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high levels of nitrate exposure have been linked with problems in pregnancy, stomach ailments and a potentially fatal blood disease in infants.
United Nation's representatives recently visited the rural community of Seville—located in Tulare County— as part of its worldwide investigation into unsafe drinking water, reported the Fresno Bee.