Hold Water Agencies and Providers Accountable

Tools and Resources to Support Community Advocacy Efforts

Governmental or public water providers include cities and public water systems. Private water providers include nonprofit mutual water companies and investor-owned utilities.

Note that engaging with special districts (unique agencies that can provide drinking water) may differ from this document, so visit this website to learn more: Governmental Providers.

Governmental Agencies

Agencies involved in drinking water include local water boards, Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWBs), the State Water Resources Control Board (SWB), Department of Water Resources, and more. If you want to learn more about what these agencies do, visit: Agencies and Organizations Involved in Drinking Water.

Advocacy Strategies with Agencies

In order to pursue sustainable drinking water solutions, it is critical to engage with agencies making drinking water-related decisions that impact you or your community. See the following documents to understand advocacy strategies for effective engagement:

  • Public comment: this can be a powerful tool to tell your story to agency representatives. Learn how to craft and deliver effective public comment (English / Español)

  • Brown Act: this law exists to ensure that the public can participate in an agency’s decision-making processes. Understand the requirements and how to challenge an agency when they fail to meet them (English / Español)

  • Public Records Act: as governmental entities, agency documents and records are required to be accessible by the public. If such information is not available online or at their physical offices, learn how to request what you are looking for (English / Español)

  • Public Services for Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities: disadvantaged unincorporated communities often experience unreliable public services, like contaminated drinking water or a low drinking water supply. Certain agencies are required to analyze the strength of public services in these communities within or near their jurisdictional borders. Learn about this analysis and how engage with your local agencies if you are part of a disadvantaged unincorporated community or an ally for one (English / Español)

  • Language access services for those with limited English proficiency: CalEPA Best Practices and Guidance

  • Referendum and initiative: voters can prevent a local law from going into effect by engaging in the referendum process, or can create and pass a local law themselves by engaging in the initiative process (English / Español)

Water Providers

Water providers can be governmental like a city, county, or special district, or private like a mutual or investor-owned utility. The way you can engage with governmental providers will be different from the way you can engage with private providers. For now, the Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy only has information on engaging with governmental providers.

Advocacy Strategies To Engage With Governmental (Public) Providers

If you want to learn more about governmental providers, visit: Governmental Water Providers. 

Challenging governmental provider actions can be as simple as going to their board meetings and engaging with them face-to-face, or as complex as filing a lawsuit to get them to comply with the law. Some information on how to engage with these providers, here: Get Involved with Providers.

Additional resources here:

  • Public comment: this can be a powerful tool to tell your story to agency representatives. Learn how to craft and deliver effective public comment (English / Español)

  • Proposition 218: governmental water providers must meet several legal requirements before raising water rates or fees related to water services. Learn what these requirements so you can ensure your provider is complying with the law (English / Español);

  • Brown Act: this law exists to ensure that the public can participate in a governmental provider’s decision-making processes. Understand the requirements and how to challenge a provider when they fail to meet them (English / Español)

  • Public Records Act: as governmental entities, provider documents and records are required to be accessible by the public. If such information is not available online or at their physical offices, learn how to request what you are looking for (English / Español)

  • Language access services for those with limited English proficiency: CalEPA Best Practices and Guidance. 

Advocacy Strategies To Engage With Private Providers

If you want to learn more about private providers, visit: Private Water Providers. Community Water Center hopes to develop guidance on advocacy strategies with private water providers in the near future, particularly centered around mutuals – no central regulating authority – and investor-owned utilities – regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Take It To the Courts

In particularly awful situations, it can be necessary to bring your concerns to a court. Keep in mind that this can be a years-long process and costly, if you are not working with a nonprofit organization or pro bono lawyer. 

The legal claim you and your lawyer decide to make depends on your unique circumstances, but here are a few examples:

  • Writs in court: if a governmental entity, like a water board, violated the law, you may be able to bring a civil proceeding in court challenging the improper action (English / Español)

  • Tort Claims Act: a “tort” refers to a civil lawsuit brought when someone is injured by an action or inaction, like if someone gets sick from contaminated water. The California State Tort Claims Act allows individuals or communities to seek monetary compensation from governmental water providers whose actions cause injuries to them (English / Español)

If you need help finding legal representation, contact Community Water Center at (559) 733-0219 or info@communitywatercenter.org for support. 

This Page Last Updated: July 16, 2024