Drinking water contamination is a chronic, insidious threat in California’s rural communities. Some have been waiting for clean water for years.

By Rachel Becker, Cal Matters

In a major milestone, state regulators announced in July that nearly a million more Californians now have safe drinking water than five years ago.

But across the state, the problem remains severe: More than 735,000 people are still served by the nearly 400 water systems that fail to meet state requirements for safe and reliable drinking water. Latino farm communities struggling with poverty and pollution are especially hard-hit.

About three-quarters of the failing systems in California have violated state or federal standards for contaminants that are linked to serious health problems, such as cancer and effects on developing babies, according to a CalMatters analysis of state data.