Access Gap of Water-related Sanitation in California

Abstract Submission: Water and wastewater services are critical for human health. In 2012, California became the first state in the U.S. to recognize The Human Right to Water (HR2W), where "every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water". Yet, in California and nationwide, some communities also have inadequate access to wastewater services. To address the gap, in 2023, California began a statewide Wastewater Needs Assessment (WWNA) to inform policies and funding that improve California’s wastewater sanitation system needs. As an early effort of this project, we developed a baseline survey to understand community-based needs for water-related sanitation across the state. The survey was administered in 2024 to experts and community leaders in California with the goal of identifying gaps in water-related sanitation access. Survey results indicate that communities exist in California with inadequate sanitation access. Such challenges are especially experienced in disadvantaged communities (DAC’s), which include communities of non-white Hispanic, Latino, and mixed residents. Respondents identified that mobile home parks and single-family homes were predominant locations facing issues. The most common water-related sanitation issues noted by respondents were septic systems reliance (38%), no or intermittent water supply at home for sanitation (13%), and reliance on mobile toilets (12%). Most respondents (79%) noted that the water-related sanitation issues they knew of began more than 10 years ago. The results illustrate California’s access gap of water related sanitation exist and will inform detailed modeling and analysis of the Wastewater Needs Assessment through 2027.

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