ICYMI: Rep. TJ Cox Releases Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act
On Monday, Representative TJ Cox (CA-21), held a press conference in in Parlier to announce a new bill that brings clean drinking water to California’s 21st Congressional District and small communities across the country, many of which are currently ineligible for existing funding programs. Joining him were local elected officials from across the district who gave testimony on how this bill can help their communities. Rep. TJ Cox discussed the challenges of obtaining clean drinking water in disadvantaged communities like Parlier and how his forthcoming bill will assist Central Valley communities such as Parlier, Huron, Wasco, Corcoran, Delano, and many others.
Contaminants such as 1,2,3,-Trichloropropane (1,2,3 - TCP), nitrates, and arsenic have brought many municipal wells into noncompliance and federal assistance is needed for communities that struggle to afford the necessary mitigation projects. Many communities in the 21st District do not have the resources to keep technical experts on staff for monitoring their water systems or handling the grant application process. In addition, some small communities are not classified as rural under federal standards and as a result are shut out of other rural drinking water funding programs. For this reason, Rep. Cox is introducing this bill to help close these gaps and bring clean drinking water to Central Valley communities.
“Most Americans take their drinking water for granted. That’s not a luxury we have in the Central Valley. Every month, families in Huron are paying an average of $119 a month for water that doesn’t meet disinfection standards. That’s unacceptable. Households in the Bay Area and Los Angeles pay a fraction of that for completely safe water. Our local governments and the state have taken action and they know what needs to be done to protect existing water sources and unlock new sources without contamination. The only missing piece is the federal government, which hasn’t yet met its responsibilities,” said Rep. Cox.
“The Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act doesn’t just expand the number of communities eligible for assistance, it also helps them get that assistance by also funding application, technical assistance, and operations & maintenance costs.”
One page overview of bill / video of event / list of supporting officials and organizations
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“Drinking water infrastructure is a fundamental and critical piece to creating livable communities that are healthy, sound affordable, and wonderful places to live,” said Jessi Snyder, community development specialist at Self-Help Enterprises. “So we're really pleased to be here and to be working with the congressman and to hear the introduction of this bill today and tomorrow in Congress because we really do believe that we can't grow communities unless they are underlain by strong effective infrastructure.”
“For too long our communities have been forgotten, but I tell you right now we're here to tell you that Wasco is on the map. We need this assistance and I am grateful for the collaboration in the comprise conversations that has been occurring since day one of this congressman's term,” said Mayor Alex Garcia of Wasco, “So I am proud of their collaboration, that we've come together here to unite with one voice to bring the issues of our rural communities that are farm laborers, working families, low-income families into the forefront of this discussion. DC needs to hear us that we need clean drinking water.”
“We are elected to go out and pound on doors for the things that are needed. And I know that speaking for Delano, our wells have been contaminated with 1,2,3 – TCP. We can get some state help, but that's not enough. The cost is just unbelievable. If you want to dig a well, a new one costs $3 million dollars. But before that, you have to pay to just see if the water is going to be good or not. And if it isn't, that money is gone, and you have to find another spot,” said City Councilwoman Grace Vallejo of Delano. “As the Congressman has said, I have been on his back, but fortunately he listens and when this bill was being drafted, they reached out to us to see if it would meet the need of what we needed to do. And when I we said well, there's no language for blending and that's very necessary. Not just in the City of Delano, but in many other cities. They said thank you, we're going to do that, and they sure enough did.”
The Fresno Bee: "Cities like Huron, with a population of 6,926 and a $22,802 median household income, are often too small to expand water access projects that could lower utility rates. While cities like Delano are too big to qualify for rural development projects from the federal government. But a new proposal could soon alleviate those pains."
Lemoore Leader: "According to the Cox legislation, Kings County’s communities like Lemoore, Stratford, Avenal, and Corcoran could qualify for assistance. The Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act would provide eligible cities throughout the United States over $100 million in grants for construction, applications, technical assistance, and operations and maintenance."
Vida En El Valle: “Families from Delano, Parlier, Huron, or any other disadvantage communities in the Central Valley would be able to get clean water thanks to the Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act recently introduced by Congressman TJ Cox. The bill aims to bring clean drinking water to the 21st Congressional District and other small communities across the country, many of which are currently ineligible for existing funding programs.”
Hanford Sentinel: "In closing, Cox said he and other leaders 'can’t stop until the water coming out of every tap is never in doubt. We provide the world with the most delicious fruits and vegetables, but if we can’t provide the most important ingredient of life for our own people, I think we’ve truly failed the most basic test of governance,' he said."
GV Wire: “Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran says the funds will help her city, especially with a filtering system at the wells. ‘The water is still drinkable, but the (chemical) levels are extremely high. I would recommend it is better to use bottled water,’ Beltran said. Cox is confident the legislation will gain bipartisan support. ‘Having clean, fresh drinking water is not a partisan issue,’ Cox said.”
Visalia Times-Delta: “Cox worked closely with cities in his district and with environmental justice groups across the Valley to draft the bill that could help dozens of cities achieve safe drinking water standards, he said. […] ‘DC needs to hear us: We need clean drinking water if we're going to continue to bring them the fruit and vegetables they need to feed their families,’ said Alex Garcia, mayor of Wasco, another Kern County ag community plagued by 1,2,3 TCP. It's time for the federal government to ‘step up’ to solving a drinking water crisis that continues to affect more than 1 million people in California alone, according to the State Water Resources Control Board, Cox said.”
Politico Morning Agriculture: “Rep. T.J. Cox announced a bill that would provide $100 million to help bring clean water to rural communities like California’s Central Valley, where families pay high rates for water that doesn’t meet federal standards, the freshman California Democrat said Monday. The New York Times has more on the state’s rural water problems."
YourCentralValley: “With city mayors supporting him, Congressman TJ Cox on Monday introduced a bill that could give small communities in the valley what they’ve been waiting for– clean and safe drinking water. ‘These are small communities, largely communities of color, that just don’t have the access to clean, fresh, drinking water,’ Cox said.”