Educating Merced County residents is key to drinking water issues, experts say
Experts in local water quality had a panel discussion Tuesday night on what Merced County residents with domestic wells should know about their water. The meeting at the Merced County Library in Atwater was hosted by The Modesto Bee and the Merced Sun-Star.
More than half of the private domestic wells in unincorporated Merced County tested over the state’s safe drinking limit for at least one contaminant, the Sun-Star reported on June 29.
At Tuesday’s discussion, all the experts agreed that education is key to helping residents understand the impacts of unsafe drinking water.
“Education is critically important,” said Maureen Thompson, executive director of the Valley Water Collaborative, a nonprofit that provides free well testing and water replacement.
Joining Thompson on the panel were: Kathleen Quinn, The Modesto Bee’s civics and democracy reporter; Jackie Carpenter, communications director for the California State Water Resources Control Board; and Gavin Bruce, a program manager with Valley Improvement Projects.
Domestic wells go untested in California
Residents in rural portions of Merced County are impacted by several types of pollution, including pesticides, farm equipment exhaust and groundwater contaminants.
But the state does not test private wells, so residents may have unsafe water and not know it. Many contaminants are unnoticeable, and well water can taste fine, even better than city water.
“It’s delicious,” Quinn said, “and it could have bacteria in it.”
In his role at Valley Improvement Projects, Bruce said he is focused on fighting for underrepresented and marginalized residents, who may not be aware of the issues with unsafe well water.
For example, Los Banos and the west side of Merced County have high levels of chromium hexavalent, a carcinogen that is linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory problems.
Most people interviewed by the Sun-Star for its story were not aware of the water-quality issues and said they drink water from untested wells.
The right to safe water in California
While the state looks for a long-term solution to the issue, Carpenter said the California State Water Resources Control Board is doing all it can in the meantime to help residents.
That includes grant funding for well testing through organizations like the Valley Water Collaborative. And it includes work through the SAFER water program, which targets disadvantaged communities.
“Ninety-nine percent of the state has access to safe water,” Carpenter said. “That 1% is in small and rural communities.”
Carpenter pointed out California’s Human Right to Water law, which says that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking and sanitary purposes.”
The state water board estimates there are more than 350,000 domestic wells actively providing drinking water to households. And about 31.6% of those are located in the Central Valley, according to reports.
“Domestic wells are a huge undertaking,” Carpenter said.
A similar panel discussion was held June 11 in Stanislaus County.
This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 10:55 AM.
