How we got here

In 2019, during his first week in office, Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the need for better drinking water solutions and proposed creating a dedicated funding source for drinking water projects in disadvantaged communities.

That same year, Governor Newsom signed legislation to establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, which has received over $600 million in cap-and-trade dollars.  
 

Connecting communities like Porterville to clean drinking water

This morning, the State Water Board and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) joined a host of partners, including the City of Porterville, elected officials, advisory group members, community-based organizations and community members, at Porterville City Hall to share and celebrate the past five years of the program’s achievements. 

The City of Porterville exemplifies the experience of many towns that must contend with failing infrastructure amid extreme weather and climate change. For several years now, Porterville, in partnership with the state, has led local efforts to expand access to safe drinking water by consolidating neighboring water systems into its own single system by merging infrastructure and managerial know-how to bring about sustainable solutions for safe drinking water.
 
Since 2019, the SAFER program has provided over $15 million to Porterville, with an additional $5.5 million grant in process, for six consolidations benefiting over 900 people. Three of those consolidations have been completed. Statewide, there have been 142 consolidations benefiting over 100,000 people since 2019.

Here are more stories of SAFER projects completed and in progress: