CCKA and the coalition of community and clean water advocates at the State Water Board’s Expert Panel Hearing.

Low-income communities of color in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast have long been disproportionately impacted by nitrates in drinking water. In the Central Valley, dairies throughout the region and chemical fertilizers are the largest sources of nitrate pollution. Along our Central Coast, the application of synthetic fertilizers is applied in amounts impossible for any crop on Earth to uptake. And when fertilizers are overapplied to land, they seep below the root zone of the crop and pollute Californians’ drinking water supply.

The California Water Boards are responsible for protecting people from excessive nitrate contamination. In 2021, the Central Coast Regional Water Board released an agricultural order that was designed to protect low-income communities of color from nitrate contamination by including numeric limits on nitrogen application and discharge. This order was appealed, and in 2023, the State Water Board issued a final order that removed any enforceable limits to nitrogen discharges, and instead, directed an Expert Panel to evaluate nitrogen application and discharge limits and provide science-based recommendations to the State Water Board. This panel was to build on the first Expert Panel convened in 2014, which notably directed the collection of more data before enforceable limits could be created.

Last month, the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel convened. California Coastkeeper Alliance, as part of a broader coalition, participated to advocate for enforceable, numeric limits on nitrogen applications and discharges.

A Crisis Decades in the Making

California’s failure to protect drinking water from nitrate contamination is not new. For decades, agriculture has been the leading source of nitrate pollution in groundwater, yet meaningful regulation has lagged behind the science.

• 1964: Unsafe nitrate levels detected in Delano’s groundwater.
• 1999: Legislature directed the State Water Board to regulate agricultural pollution.
• 2012: California recognized the Human Right to Water.
• 2014: The first Expert Panel convened to review nitrate management.

Yet more than a decade later, nitrate contamination has worsened, impacting communities across the Central Valley and Central Coast.

Takeaways from the August Expert Panel Meetings

At the first panel meeting in August, growers argued that non-enforceable targets were sufficient to eventually reduce nitrate contamination.

Community members painted a starkly different picture:

• Data showed rising nitrate contamination in well water across the Central Valley.
• Residents shared personal stories of health and economic impacts – from blue baby syndrome to cancer risks, and families forced to purchase bottled water while their wells remain unsafe.

At the second meeting, Indigenous leaders and researchers added historical context and new data, underscoring that nitrate contamination is not just a technical problem – it’s a matter of justice.

CCKA presented comments at both meetings. Our message to the panel was direct: The State Water Board cannot continue to delay behind endless data collection; Californians have a right to clean water and enforceable nitrogen limits can keep communities safe from agricultural pollution. The facts are clear:

• Overapplication of nitrogen is the leading cause of groundwater nitrate contamination.
• The impacts on communities are severe and well-documented.
• Sufficient data already exists to establish enforceable numeric limits.

The panel has a choice: continue the cycle of delay or recommend enforceable numeric limits to protect the communities most harmed.

The Time to Act is Now

California cannot afford another decade of inaction. Every year, nitrate contamination worsens, making solutions more difficult and costly. Meanwhile, communities are forced to consume contaminated water or purchase bottled water for basic daily needs.  

The Second Expert Panel has the opportunity to break the cycle of delay and recommend enforceable numeric limits on nitrogen applications and discharges from agriculture.

The health of communities – and the integrity of California’s water – cannot wait. The time to act is now.

Marty Farrell

Policy Analyst Marty Farrell advocates for statewide policies and programs that protect the health of California’s water.