Estar Con el Agua al Cuello: Spanish-Language Communications for Equitable Water Policy Development in California's Southern Central Valley

Drinking water inequities have plagued California’s Central Valley for decades. Two counties in particular face the highest number of long-term failing water systems in the state, with greater than 50% of drinking water systems classified as failing or at risk: Kern and Tulare Counties. As a result of inadequate systems compounded with industrial contamination, residents of the area face a severe lack of access to clean drinking water. The residents of Kern and Tulare Counties, primarily low-income, Latine, Spanish-speaking, farm worker communities, are left with the difficult decision of buying bottled water or using contaminated water for drinking, cooking, and showering. Addressing this inequity would require immense resources not available by the state in order to update water systems and address ongoing contamination sources. Previous research regarding drinking water access in Kern and Tulare Counties has largely ignored one significant factor: the accessibility of Spanish-language communications. To identify the disconnect between resident water needs and existing legislation, Spanish-language services for both risk communications and community engagement strategies were investigated. Ten individuals working for the State of California, Kern County, Tulare County, and community-based organizations were interviewed in order to obtain first-hand accounts of the drinking water and Spanish-language risk communication issues facing Kern and Tulare Counties in California. This work exposed that while legislation has made significant progress in recent years toward inclusion of Spanish-speaking communities, there is still much work to be done in order to achieve an equitable engagement and policy development process. The research and interviews demonstrated that centering Spanish-speaking community insight in water system revision will allow for the construction of more sustainable water policies which better address the needs of constituents.

Author dc:creator

• Glasgow, Natalie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kostick, Heather

• Environmental Studies

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/62947

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.upenn.edu:20.500.14332/62947