In our 2017 series Contaminated , we told the stories of communities throughout the San Joaquin Valley struggling to access safe drinking water. Since then, the state has begun regulating a new drinking water contaminant. And though that regulation represents increased accountability, it brings financial challenges to some communities—and many are turning to the courts to help pay for water treatment. We begin this story in Del Rey, an unincorporated community in central Fresno County. Maria Ayala loves to cook. The Del Rey clothing seller says prepares all manner of typical Mexican dishes for her husband and daughter. Recently, however, cooking’s become complicated. Earlier this year, she received a letter explaining some of Del Rey’s water contains a carcinogen known as 1,2,3-TCP . “We’re now buying bottled water,” she says in Spanish, “but it’s not enough for everything.” She also says she’s confused about what she can and can’t do with the tap water. “What I don’t know now is if I
https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/201808/DelRey123TCP1.jpg