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Valley Public Radio Staff

Kristina Herrick
Kristina Herrick
Classical Music Host
George Mason
George Mason
On-air host, Clearly Classical
Rebecca Plevin
Rebecca Plevin
Reporter
Jason Scott
Jason Scott
Host, Clearly Classical and All Things Considered
Vince DiCiccio
Vince DiCiccio
Host, The Oasis; The Intersection
Ezra Romero
Ezra Romero
Reporter and Producer
Marv Allen
Marv Allen
Host, Morning Edition

Tagged: nitrate

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Environment
6:47 pm
Fri June 7, 2013

EPA and Lawmakers Call Lack of Clean Drinking Water Unacceptable

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Credit Amy Quinton / Capital Public Radio
Jeanette Pantoja, California Rural Legal Assistance, Kenia Acevedo, California Rural Legal Assistance and Don Rosa, with the Pajaro Sunny Mesa Community Services District
Credit Amy Quinton / Capital Public Radio
Springfield's well
Credit Amy Quinton / Capital Public Radio
Community meeting in Springfield tackles the issue of water pollution
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By Amy Quinton

The Environmental Protection Agency says California is violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA says the state’s Department of Public Health has failed to spend nearly a $500 million in federal money to provide safe drinking water. It’s estimated the state will have to spend $40 billion over the next two decades to fix the problem.  As Amy Quinton reports from Sacramento, some lawmakers are outraged by what they see as a bureaucratic nightmare within the Department.

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Environment
6:46 pm
Fri June 7, 2013

Hundreds of Communities Rely on Contaminated Water

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Credit Amy Quinton / Capital Public Radio
Springfield's well is tainted with nitrate pollution
Credit Amy Quinton / Capital Public Radio
Jeanette Pantoja, California Rural Legal Assistance, Kenia Acevedo, California Rural Legal Assistance and Don Rosa, with the Pajaro Sunny Mesa Community Services District
Credit Amy Quinton / Capital Public Radio
Community Meeting in Springfield
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By Amy Quinton

More than 600 communities in California rely on contaminated groundwater. Nowhere is the problem more acute than in the Tulare Lake Basin and the Salinas Valley.  It’s estimated that a quarter of a million people there rely on groundwater contaminated with nitrates, including some of the poorest people in the state. In the first of two stories, Amy Quinton reports on how one community struggles to deal with the problem. 

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Environment
9:19 am
Tue April 30, 2013

Where Might Funding For Safe Drinking Water Flow From?

Credit Rebecca Plevin / Valley Public Radio
Sandra Garcia, left, of Poplar, can't drink her water because it's contaminated by nitrates.
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For the past 35 years, Sandra Garcia has picked grapes, plums and peppers on San Joaquin Valley farms. But when she returns to her home in the small, Tulare County community of Poplar, she’s reminded of agriculture’s impact on her drinking water.

She can’t drink it because it contains unhealthy levels of nitrates. And she can’t cook with it, because boiling water can concentrate the nitrate level. It’s a serious health issue for infants and pregnant women.

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Environment
11:05 am
Mon April 22, 2013

California in Violation Of Safe Drinking Water Act

Credit Valley Public Radio
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By Amy Quinton

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says California is in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The federal government has provided the state one-point-five billion dollars to make loans and grants to water systems across the state. But since October 2012, about a half billion dollars remains unspent.

EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld says in many cases the money has been committed, but the projects are not “shovel-ready”. As a result, other communities’ drinking water needs remain unmet.

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