San Mateo County officials are urging Pescadero residents to report unsafe drinking water after a Bay Area News Group report revealed concerns about water quality that have persisted in the rural coastal town.
Acknowledging that many non-English-speaking farmworkers and renters the county says it will depend on to monitor water concerns have been rattled by ICE raids in the state, officials emphasized that residents who report such issues can do so confidentially and will not be asked about their immigration status.
The initiative follows a Bay Area News Group story detailing how residents continue to deal with unsafe water in their homes. One resident said she has relied on water pulled from a nearby creek for 20 years that turns “murky like chocolate” during rainstorms.
The county’s efforts include home visits, informational events, and bilingual materials distributed in partnership with local nonprofits. As part of the push, the county is promoting a free hotline for reporting water quality issues and offering no-cost home inspections and testing of water sources, including creeks and wells.
“Every resident should be able to turn on the tap with confidence that their water is safe to drink,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller, who represents the coastal town. “While strong protections are already in place … we want to make sure that residents are fully informed.”
The county said it will work with local groups Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS) and Puente de la Costa Sur to reach the area’s largely immigrant farmworker population.
Many farmworkers, according to local community organizations, fear that reporting unsafe conditions could lead to eviction or having their homes declared uninhabitable, which they say would be detrimental in a region with limited affordable housing.
“The sole focus is on health and safety,” said county spokesperson Effie Milionis Verducci. “Any form of retaliation by landlords — such as threats, evictions or intimidation — is unlawful. Residents who experience or fear retaliation will be referred to legal aid resources and tenant protection services.”
Sandra Sencion, farmworker director at Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, told this news organization their team has been distributing county-issued cards that inform residents of their rights and encourage them to report water issues.
“We’ve explained to them, they can give feedback or ask for help,” she said. “In moments of crisis, we provide a safe space more than anything.”
The county’s Environmental Health Services oversees the permitting and construction process for individual drinking water wells and sewage disposal systems for residents in areas without a community water supply or municipal sewer system.
“When a residential construction is finalized, its water supply is verified to be adequate, which means safe to drink and of sufficient quantity,” Verducci said. “Over time, repairs to the well, water storage tank or water line may be needed to ensure that the water provided to the residence remains clean and safe. Occasionally, ongoing treatment is necessary if water quality sampling shows that contamination has not been remedied by other means.”
She said anyone renting a home out “must provide housing that meets minimum habitability standards, including those for water.”
“If a landlord knowingly rents a home that is substandard or refuses to address the issues related to habitability, it is a violation of county ordinance, and the landlord may be required to pay to relocate tenants under the county’s relocation ordinance,” Verducci added. “While the county reserves red tagging a residence as a last resort, the preferred remedy is to help the homeowner find ways to make sure the water serving the home is safe to drink. This may require the homeowner to install a water treatment system, which is not uncommon, or drill a new well.”
ALAS has also worked with families affected by the 2023 Half Moon Bay mass shooting, which exposed squalid housing conditions for farmworkers on the coast. Sencion said those events highlight why trust-building and consistency are essential when reaching out to the community.
“These sensitive topics require ongoing effort,” she said. “It may seem easy to some to simply pick up the phone or send an email, but for others, it’s not that simple. Many individuals may have experienced trauma that prevents them from speaking up.”
Despite recent attention, issues around clean water access in Pescadero is not new.
About 90 homes and businesses are connected to CSA-11, the community’s only clean water system, but the unincorporated area is home to more than 200 households, according to latest census data. The rest either rely on wells or creek water.
Those who are connected to the clean system protested a rate hike proposal in April that would have possibly tripled rates for CSA-11 customers after protests from residents. The county paused that plan and, according to Mueller, the Department of Public Works is now revisiting it and plans to re-engage the community before making any changes.
Environmental Health Services hasn’t received formal complaints about individual water systems in two years, but the county says it’s ready to address any concerns that emerge through its new outreach efforts.
Sencion said she’s hopeful the renewed focus will help resolve the long-running problem. “It’s great that the county is looking into it now,” she said.
Residents can report water issues by calling 650-599-1112 and leaving a message, or by emailing envhealth@smcgov.org.
Staff writer Luis Melecio-Zambrano contributed to this report.