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Lost Hills residents and advocates press board for enforceable drinking‑water protections
Summary
Residents from Lost Hills and other disadvantaged communities told the State Water Board they still face brown or foul tap water, expensive bottled water costs and health concerns, and asked for stronger mitigation, clearer eligibility and continued oversight.
Several residents of Lost Hills and community advocates testified at the Sept. 17 State Water Board hearing that their tap water has been unsafe or unreliable for years and that more enforceable mitigation and clearer assistance for small systems are needed.
Saul Ruiz, a Lost Hills resident of four decades, described chronic problems after about 2010: discolored water, damaged plumbing and health effects in the community. "Our water would come out with a brownish color, yellowish color," Ruiz said, adding that families sometimes must buy bottled water and pay hundreds of dollars monthly to manage poor service. Other witnesses from Lost Hills and nearby towns said they had collected petitions and letters asking the Board to place the basin on probation to secure stronger protections for drinking water users.
Community advocates acknowledged improvements in the 2025 draft GSPs — including expanded monitoring and a revised well mitigation program — but urged the Board and GSAs to adopt enforceable timelines and to provide financial assistance for state small water systems and impacted domestic wells. Advocates also raised concerns about the mitigation application criteria, arguing that the plan’s exclusion of wells with documented contamination before Jan. 1, 2015, may leave many households without relief.
Board staff and GSA representatives told the hearing that revised notification and exceedance investigation procedures will inform well owners and that mitigation tracks exist for both dry wells and degraded water quality. GSA presenters said the mitigation program includes separate tracks (mitigation and technical assistance), that Self‑Help Enterprises will help administer mitigation applications, and that a new funding assistance framework for state small water systems is under development.
Community speakers urged the Board to maintain strong oversight during implementation and to ensure the adopted plans translate to timely, affordable drinking‑water assistance. The Board’s adopted resolution will not immediately place the basin on probation but requires staff verification that specific mitigation and governance items are resolved in the adopted plans before formal return to DWR oversight; community groups said they will continue to monitor implementation.
