Could virtual networks solve drinking water woes for California’s isolated, disadvantaged communities?
A pilot program in the Salinas Valley run remotely out of Los Angeles is offering a test case for how California could provide clean drinking water for isolated rural communities plagued by contaminated groundwater that lack the financial means or expertise to connect to a larger water system. The high-tech system developed by the University of California, Los Angeles removes common contaminants from groundwater, allowing residents of a cluster of Salinas Valley disadvantaged communities to finally turn on their taps without fear. UCLA’s smart systems are smaller and cheaper to implement than traditional water treatment plants and can be operated via smartphone or tablet by an expert located hundreds of miles away.