Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Keywords

water poverty, human right to water, access to clean water, california, san Joaquin valley, fresno, rural communities, disadvantaged communities, community participation, community mobilization, agriculture and politics, social stratification

Department

Political Science

Major

Political Science

Abstract

California, the eighth largest economy in the world, has nearly one million residents that lack daily access to clean drinking water, yet it recently became the first state in the US to declare water a human right through the passage of 2013 Assembly Bill 685. The majority of water quality violations take place in the rural San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated, low-income communities, which have difficulties accessing clean, drinking water due to issues including quality, affordability, and physical availability. The role of community participation in improving water poverty has been studied extensively in developing countries but its impact is infrequently studied in the developed world. This study uses a comparative case study approach to examine how community resources affect access to drinking water in the San Joaquin Valley. The study finds that community participation, interaction with outside actors, and public resources can improve the quality of drinking water in rural, disadvantaged communities.

See Alyssa Galik's honors thesis on this topic.

Faculty Mentor

Candice Ortbals

Funding Source or Research Program

Political Science Honors Program

Presentation Session

Session A

Location

Plaza Classroom 189

Start Date

3-4-2015 5:30 PM

End Date

3-4-2015 5:45 PM

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Apr 3rd, 5:30 PM Apr 3rd, 5:45 PM

Water Poverty in Disadvantaged Communities in California

Plaza Classroom 189

California, the eighth largest economy in the world, has nearly one million residents that lack daily access to clean drinking water, yet it recently became the first state in the US to declare water a human right through the passage of 2013 Assembly Bill 685. The majority of water quality violations take place in the rural San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated, low-income communities, which have difficulties accessing clean, drinking water due to issues including quality, affordability, and physical availability. The role of community participation in improving water poverty has been studied extensively in developing countries but its impact is infrequently studied in the developed world. This study uses a comparative case study approach to examine how community resources affect access to drinking water in the San Joaquin Valley. The study finds that community participation, interaction with outside actors, and public resources can improve the quality of drinking water in rural, disadvantaged communities.

See Alyssa Galik's honors thesis on this topic.