The Monterey Park Tract has two main streets and fewer than 200 residents, almost exclusively Black and Latino. Like many areas of rural Stanislaus County, it relies on septic systems and has no gutters or sidewalks. … When county leaders applied for a grant in the early 1980s to help Monterey Tract residents get access to clean water, they did not do enough to prevent long-term contamination. … Decades later, in 2011, both wells drilled to address previous contamination of nitrate and bacterial coliform became tainted with nitrate and arsenic. … In response, residents were connected to the city of Ceres municipal water system about five miles north in 2015. [T]he pipes installed to run the water to the community are defective and could not handle the chlorinated water. … Despite issues with Ceres’ water, Monterey Tract residents pay, on average, 50% more than what Ceres residents pay to access the city’s water. 

Other drinking water news:

• San Diego Red (Tijuana, Mex.): After six years, one Tijuana neighborhood is finally getting drinking water
• Natural Refrigerants: U.S. EPA proposes monitoring TFA in drinking water
• Capitol Weekly (Sacramento, Calif.): Opinion: Clean water shouldn’t depend on where you live