Through community-driven decision-making and education, Arvin Union School District, CWC, AdEdge Technologies, and Committee for a Better Arvin teamed up to install Point-of-Use filters in 4 school.to treat arsenic contamination in Arvin, CA.

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Narrative

Problem
Arvin is a severely disadvantaged communities in South Kern County (about 20 miles south of Bakersfield) that are comprised of primarily low-income Latino farmworkers. Arvin’s water system struggles with water quality issues: specifically high arsenic levels. Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil and also can come from industrial and agricultural activities, such as mining or arsenic-based pesticides. High levels of arsenic over time can cause health impacts like skin, lung, or kidney cancer; reduced mental functioning in children; and Type 2 diabetes. While Arvin’s water system has been working on a long-term solution to address these water challenges, the schools, as well as the rest of the community, will have to continue to wait a few years for safe drinking water. According to Dr. Michelle Mclean, Superintendent of Arvin Union School District, “There have been requests made over time for us to filter the water here at the schools, but it’s really cost prohibitive, and the costs we receive from the State Department of Education and taxpayers are really meant to go toward the education,” McLean said. Students are being exposed to arsenic and potentially are not being well hydrated.

Solution
Community Water Center (CWC), Committee for a Better Arvin (CBA), the Arvin Union School District, and AdEdge Technologies teamed up together to create a new model of how schools can provide safe water. CBA is a local grassroots environmental justice organization comprised of community leaders dedicated to improving the quality of life. The Arvin Union School District includes four elementary schools and one middle school in Arvin. AdEdge is a manufacturer that works with Multipure Corporation to make Point-of-Use (POU) water filter systems that are certified by NSF and the California Department of Public Health to reduce arsenic effectively. The project team first assessed the needs of the daycare centers, explored cost-effective options for interim solutions that met the schools’ needs, and decided to implement Point-of-Use (POU) water filters at all drinking water fountains and kitchen sinks used for cooking. These filters are expected to be in place for three years while the local water district is developing long-term solutions to address the high arsenic levels in the water with state funding. The filters will be installed by the end of February 2014, after a year of building relationships and scoping the needs of the schools.

Partners
This project was a collaborative process that involved the support of many different partners. CWC, Arvin Union School District leadership, and AdEdge technologies worked together to develop a plan for implementation. The filter equipment, replacement filters, installation, and water quality monitoring will be donated in-kind with the support of partners AdEdge Water Technologies, Multipure Corporation, Helping Hands For Water, Western Water, and California Rural Water Association at no cost to the schools.