- News Release – May 16, 2024
- Contact: Brandy Swisher, bswisher@krcd.org
Rural neighborhood northeast of Reedley, CA: On April 18, 2024, the Kings Water Alliance performed its 1,000th residential well test for nitrate. This milestone comes just three years after new organizations were created to address nitrate contamination in the Central San Joaquin Valley’s groundwater. Rural residential wells in portions of Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties have been the Kings Water Alliance’s focus so far, soon to expand further into Kings County.
Mr. T. Martinez’s residential well was the 1,000th tested for nitrate by the Kings Water Alliance. Test results showed the groundwater was above the safe drinking limit for nitrate in drinking water. Less than 48 hours after the well test was conducted, Kings Water Alliance notified Mr. Martinez of his results and enrolled him and his family in the free bottled water home delivery program, “I am very happy about it. The whole process, the whole idea of this getting that water out to the people is a great thing. This process was way more than I expected. I am actually shocked that the process took less than a week. The staff has been very professional, very prompt. I would recommend the service to anybody who is seeking to get water that they know is safe from Kings Water Alliance.”
Potential nitrate impacted areas have known or suspected high nitrate in groundwater. However, getting your well tested is the only way to know for sure if your well is impacted by high levels of nitrates. As a short-term solution, Kings Water Alliance offers free nitrate testing, and free home bottled water delivery to households whose nitrate levels are above 10mg/L (about the weight of a grain of salt), and free water fill stations in Hanford, Kerman, and Dinuba.
As of April 2024, over 500 households are receiving free bottled water deliveries under the Kings Water Alliance program. It is estimated an additional 11,000 residential wells within the Kings Water Alliance service area should be tested for nitrate. If you or a family member rely on a private well for your drinking water, and you live in the Kings Water Alliance service area, you are invited to sign up for a free well test. A less than 2-minute survey will tell you if you are eligible – visit www.kingswateralliance.org/welltest/, or call (559) 549-6747 today.
As explained by the State Water Resources Control Board, “Nitrite can interfere with the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues of the body, producing a condition called methemoglobinemia. It is of greatest concern in infants, whose immature stomach environment enables conversion of nitrate to nitrite, which is then absorbed into the blood stream. The effects of nitrite are often referred to as the ‘blue baby syndrome’. High nitrate levels may also affect the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood of pregnant women.” Sources of nitrate in groundwater include septic systems, confined animal feeding operations, or fertilizer use. Nitrate is also naturally occurring. Kings Water Alliance is one of five ‘Management Zone’ organizations formed to address elevated nitrate levels in the Central San Joaquin Valley’s groundwater supply. Groundwater is the primary source – and sometimes sole source – of drinking water for many Central Valley communities. Visit www.kingswateralliance.org to learn more about Kings Water Alliance, and www.cvsalinity.org/nitrate-program to learn more about the wider Nitrate Control Program and the range of programs administered by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
