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Residents tell council contaminated wells and bottled-water reliance demand city partnership for funded water project
Summary
Multiple Greenfield residents told the City Council they have unsafe private well water with high nitrate and 1,2,3-TCP levels and asked the city to partner on a fully funded water project; speakers said the community has organized for two years and asked for inclusion in a "Walnut Avenue" water project proposal.
Several Greenfield residents told the City Council during public comment that private wells outside city limits are contaminated with nitrates and 1,2,3-trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP), leaving households reliant on bottled water and shared tap deliveries.
"Clean water is not a luxury, but a necessity and a fundamental human right," said Rosari Guzman, a Greenfield resident who said her father’s well on Fourteenth Street tested in late 2023 with high levels of nitrate and 1,2,3-TCP and subsequently went dry. "We have an opportunity for a fully funded water project. We want to work in partnership with the city to make sure all residents have safe, clean, and affordable drinking water," she said.
Saul Cardona, who said he has lived in Greenfield about 57 years, described long-term exposure and health concerns. "I have to use bottled water for cooking, drinking, and I'm also unable to take harsh showers without exposing myself to cancer causing chemicals," Cardona said.
Tony Amezcua and Joel Mercado also described contaminated wells and unreliable supply. Mercado said roughly 20 families live at a site he identified as the Mercado Camp at the end of Apple Avenue and that they need a long-term solution to ensure reliable, safe water. "It's incredibly difficult to go about a daily life when you're constantly worried about having a reliable source of water," Mercado said.
Speakers said they have organized for nearly two years and are seeking to work with the city on a state-funded project they identified as the Walnut Avenue drinking water project. Several requested that the city coordinate with them on an inclusive solution and noted state law recognizes access to drinking water as a human right.
Council members and staff responded by scheduling workshops specific to wastewater and water at the end of September and early October and by indicating staff would follow up with residents individually where appropriate. The council chair pointed residents to the upcoming meetings as the venues to ask detailed questions and receive project information.
