This Summer, Clean Water Action participated in the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) public comment period for its update to the Groundwater Protection List (GWPL). The Groundwater Protection List is exactly what it says on the tin! It is a list of contaminants that the Department of Pesticides Regulation must regulate, monitor, and remedy in California’s groundwater aquifers as, "Pesticides labeled for agricultural, outdoor institutional or outdoor industrial use that contain any of the following chemicals are designated as having the potential to pollute groundwater."
Our public comment letter gained twenty-nine signatures in total, with signatures from doctors, advocates, researchers and sixteen environmental justice organizations!
We are only able to engage in this essential work thanks to supporters like you.
In our letter, we shared recommendations to ensure that the GWPL is protective of drinking water, especially for groundwater dependent communities. The GWPL itself, and its process for evaluating and adding pesticide contaminants to the list, have not been updated comprehensively since 1991. Meanwhile, contaminants like 1,2,3-trichloropropane have caused significant contamination of the state’s groundwater.
Our main recommendations for the Department of Pesticide Regulation boil down to:
- DPR should conduct additional validation of their proposed new method of identifying new-to-California pesticides likely to move to groundwater.
- DPR should more regularly make updates to the Groundwater Protection List itself, and update the data, models, and methods used to add pesticides to the GWPL to be the most reflective of scientific advancements in the field.
- DPR should examine cumulative exposures and synergistic impacts of pesticides in groundwater. Cumulative exposures consider a person or population’s total exposure to multiple substances (e.g., pesticides) or stressors (e.g., poverty) from all sources over time. This will more accurately capture peoples’ lived experience, for example by characterizing exposure to multiple pesticides through drinking water, food, and occupation instead of simply identifying exposure to only one pesticide through one source.
Our coalition collaborated on this effort to improve the regulation of pesticides in groundwater and ensure our state policies protect public health. Clean Water Action and several of our partner organizations work with low-income communities of color across California who are wholly dependent on groundwater for their drinking water. These communities rely on the successful implementation of the Human Right to Water for their access to clean and safe drinking water, and Clean Water Action is dedicated to upholding that essential human right. We all have the right to clean and safe drinking water free from pesticide pollutants!
Looking forward, the Department of Pesticides has not yet announced their official timeline for adopting public comments into the update of the Groundwater Protection List. Clean Water and our allies are working directly with DPR staff to stay apprised of developments in the timeline, and, since the result of these proceedings directly impact water quality in California, we will ensure our members stay informed about this process!
