Speaker 1 00:00:39 Good evening case squid listeners it's every other Sunday, again, and you are listening to sustainability. Now, a biweekly case, squid radio show focused on environment sustainability and social justice in the Monterey bay region, California and the world. I'm your host. Ronnie Lipshitz water in California is a perennial concern. Sometimes there is too much and sometimes there is not enough. And sometimes the water is not very good tainted by salt, sewage and other contaminants, both natural and synthetic. My guest today is Chelsea two. The recently appointed executive director of a new local non-profit Montey water keeper. Ms. Two is a lawyer by training and a practitioner of environmental law with a focus on climate land use and environmental justice issues. Monterey water, keep combines education science based policy advocacy, and legal action to ensure that all communities including low income communities of color have safe, affordable drinking water, and enjoy clean swimable and fishable waters. Chelsea too. Welcome to sustainability now, are you there? Speaker 2 00:01:48 Hello? Thank you for having me. Speaker 1 00:01:50 You're welcome. It's uh, it's great to have you. You are there? Yes. Good. Speaker 2 00:01:54 Can you hear me okay Speaker 1 00:01:55 Now I can. Yes. So, great. Um, let's begin with your background. Tell, tell us how you came to practice environmental law and, and you know, where you went to law school and, and worked Speaker 2 00:02:10 Well. It's a bit of a long story of starting from my childhood. So I grew up in Taiwan, which is an island fall of mountains and rowing rivers. So many of my favorite memories as a child, really involved, enjoying being in nature, um, enjoying fishing with my dad in the mountains, for example, um, at the same time I, my home was in the city and, um, I realized what pollution, especially water pollution looked like and smelled like from an early age, um, on my way to school, I passed by the, the channeled river next to my house that always looked murky and gray and, um, often smelled like sewage. So I think since a young age I've really seen and lived differences, uh, between clean and polluted environments, specifically water environments and how that really impacts, um, our wellbeing from, um, mental to physical health. Speaker 2 00:03:15 Um, so, and when my family moved, um, from Taiwan to the bay area, when I was 10 years old, everything changed, uh, we didn't speak English. My, my parents really, um, didn't have the means to go back to school. So they worked, uh, low wage jobs to provide for the family, uh, yet, you know, nature and appreciation and nature is always, um, you know, in the family. And so we continued to seek refuge, exploring nearby parks and rivers, um, and you know, it wasn't until I studied environmental science in college that I learned about, um, environmental injustices, um, especially where, um, environmental pollution is most prevalent in, you know, where low income families live and where families of colors live, uh, families just like mine. Um, whether these families, um, are more likely to live next to sources of pollution like oil and gas facilities or, uh, factories, and are more likely exposed to inequities like, um, contaminated drinking water. So I think all of this, um, exposure to, um, environmental injustices and my love for environment really led me to feel a personal responsibility, um, to make sure that families that are like mine, low income families, families of colors, and really all families, um, can enjoy, um, healthy, clean environment. Cause that's, you know, really the basis of a healthy family. So I ended up pursuing a career in environmental law so that I can have the tools to be able to advocate for a clean environment for everyone. Speaker 1 00:05:12 Hmm. Okay. Um, and, uh, what, where, where did you work previously previous to this particular position, which we'll talk about in just a minute? Okay. Speaker 2 00:05:24 So my first job out of college was actually working as a research assistant, um, water issues. Uh, I worked for an environmental consulting company that did coastal Marine management mm-hmm <affirmative> in California and, and this role really opened my eyes up, um, to the fact that, um, our coastal and not only to the fact that our coastal and Marine ecosystems are so fragile, um, but that caring for the ocean caring for the coast really also means, uh, caring for and reducing pollution from everything that happens upstream, um, you know, from wastewater to pesticides, to plastics, um, all of which ends up in the ocean. And, um, I went to law school after, uh, working at the consulting company, um, after which I worked on a variety of issues at different nonprofits. Uh, for example, I worked on, uh, protecting freshwater supply, um, for endangered salmon in the San Francisco bay Delta. Speaker 2 00:06:31 And I also recently worked, um, alongside low income communities of color in the central valley to stop oil and gas drilling near homes and schools mm-hmm <affirmative>. So I've, I learned a lot from working on different issues in different Cal, um, different communities, especially in California, but I've really always wanted to get back, uh, to working on water, especially water quality, which, uh, of course affects, you know, every aspect of our everyday lives. And, um, and so that's, uh, um, kind of my environmental law practice in a nutshell, and I'm, I'm really privileged and, um, honored to be able to work on, um, issues in, and I Monterey bay and, uh, where I've lived for three years now. Speaker 1 00:07:21 Oh, okay. And, and, um, how, how did you get hired as executive director of Monterey water keep, um, was, was it, was it, I think it something you applied for, did you, you know, just for, for our listeners, something you applied for, did you know someone, I mean, what's, what was the, the process? Yeah, Speaker 2 00:07:40 It, it, um, it, it was a quick process and it, and it, I think it just kind of happened. I did apply for this position, um, and they had, the organization had just started, um, it was incorporated in December of 2021, and they've been looking for an executive director for a while. Um, and I was looking for, um, you know, a, a new organization, uh, that I could, you know, really work in and contribute to the sustainability of my community, like I was saying earlier. Um, and it, I think it, uh, I think those organizations focus on water quality protection really speaks to me personally, um, as well as, um, professionally. Um, and I really lucky to, to kind of come full circle after having worked on a lot of different types of issues, um, to now, um, working on water quality protection with Monterey water keep Speaker 1 00:08:45 Well, okay. So how, what is Monterey water keeper's history and, and how did it come then into existence? I mean, on one hand it has a predecessor, right? On the, the other hand it's a new organization. So maybe you can tell us something about that. Speaker 2 00:09:00 Yeah, absolutely. Um, well, I guess I said earlier, Monterey water keeper is really a new organization. Um, but prior to that, um, Monterey water keeper was known actually as Monterey Coastkeeper, um, and Monterey Coastkeeper was housed under the O project and, and really, um, did a lot of work in 15 years prior focusing primarily on protecting the central Coast's waterways and Monterey bay from agri agricultural pollution. Um, and so prior to Monterey, Coastkeeper being incorporated and then becoming Monterey Waterkeeper really, um, our organization focused on, uh, a lot on watch dogging, um, making sure that our waterways are safe from, um, pesticides and nitrates, um, you know, coming from agricultural fertilizers. And we were not only before the central coast regional water quality control board advocating for strong regulation on agricultural runoff, uh, but also brought a series of lawsuits to keep, um, our regional board and, um, permits accountable for making sure that the Monterey based waterways are, are clean for everyone. Speaker 2 00:10:31 So that that's really important work that, um, Monterey coast keeper and now Monterey water keeper was doing and, and really nobody else, um, you know, was really doing from the public interest, uh, perspective. So, um, moving forward and committed to continuing this important legacy work, um, and continuing to advocate for, um, strong pollution regulation standards from agriculture, as well as from other sources of pollution and, um, moving forward as well. Um, I also wanna draw on my background on environmental justice to tackle some of the biggest inequities, um, more water injustices that line our region from the lack of safe drinking water in low income communities and, um, San Cruz and Monterey counties to their, you know, lack of access, um, by the same people to our beautiful and unique, fresh water and coastal resources that we're, we're so lucky to have on the central coast. Speaker 1 00:11:40 Well, be before we take a break, tell us what are the worst, what are the biggest water quality issues on the central coast? I mean, you've mentioned some of them, but maybe you can be a little bit more specific about them. Speaker 2 00:11:53 Absolutely. Um, the central coast is, um, I, by way of background, um, almost exclusively dependent on groundwater, uh, groundwater feeds everything, you know, from our streams and rivers to, um, you know, supplying our drinking water to irrigation water. So, you know, we all depend on groundwater, whether you're a regular household, you know, turning on your tab or whether you are a farmer in power valley or the Salinas valley. So, um, we, and, and because of the way that our, um, surface waters like Pajaro river and, um, Salinas river and Carmel river are so intertwined with our groundwater sources. Um, we, you know, really have a, um, pretty unique situation where water supply issues go hand in hand with water quality problems, uh, because the waterways, you know, between surface water and groundwater are just so interconnected, mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, a lot of our groundwater, um, and surface waters are contaminated with nitrates, pesticides, um, and different nutrients. Speaker 2 00:13:11 And this is largely from agricultural runoff. Um, and I think the connection is probably self evident because our region, you know, whether you live in Santa Cruz county or Monterey county, um, you know, the, one of our biggest sources of income here is, uh, agriculture. And so, um, agricultural runoff, um, and specifically nitrates and pesticides and other contaminants like 1, 2, 3 TCP, or, um, you know, that, that is an association associated chemical, um, chemical associated with, um, specific, uh, fuming and called T-One. Our waterways are, are full of those things. Um, and I wanna emphasize that, um, you know, these contaminants are not only prevalent among the waterways of the central coast. Uh, they really, um, hit you. They really hit hardest and communities that, you know, rely on, um, you know, private walls or small water systems that, um, you know, serve low income folks where the, um, folks that are, you know, reliant on these groundwater, um, containing groundwater sources, um, you know, don't necessarily have the means to check, um, you know, if, how much their groundwater is contaminated, um, you know, much less spend millions and millions of dollars to be able to clean up this contamination. Speaker 2 00:14:47 Um, so I I'll just give an example of the center Geraldo cooperative, um, or San Gerald community that Monterey water keeper works with. Um, so this community, um, is just south of the city of Salinas and has about 60 plus household or 3,350 or so people living in this community, um, and, and most of the community members are low income, um, Latinx families, and the, the community of Centra right now is actually on their fourth. Uh, well, because, um, the three other Wells that they have depended on in the past have just been so heavily contaminated with nitrate and 1, 2, 3 TCP that they've had to abandon their previous walls and try to find, um, well, you know, that's close enough, um, with, you know, water contaminant levels that are low enough so that the residents can drink that. Um, and, and that's just an injustice that needs to be addressed. Um, you know, not only in the Centra community, um, which fortunately, um, you know, really took on, um, a lot of work and in advocacy and getting money to be able to, you know, get their forth while, and to, to have, you know, safer drinking water, um, but did this, and these water injustices, you know, are, you know, in a lot of communities, you know, in San Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, Speaker 1 00:16:24 All right, you're listening to sustainability. Now, my guest today is Chelsea two, who is the executive director of a new Monterey bay, uh, organization called Monterey water. Keep, we've just been talking about her background and the organization's background. And, um, Chelsea was telling us about a particular community south of Salinas, which is now on its fourth. Well, and I'm curious about two things, Chelsea, first of all, how did the community discover that its water was polluted? And, uh, second, how did the community, uh, you know, get the funding to, uh, to drill the fourth? Well, Speaker 2 00:17:04 The community, uh, of San, um, has been there since the seventies and, um, a lot over a long period of time. Many community members have gotten sick, uh, community members, you know, for example, have gotten, you know, weird rashes mm-hmm <affirmative>, they cannot explain. Um, and the, the rashes, you know, really went away when the community members decided to drink farm bottle water and, you know, minimize showering and washing from their ground water. Um, you know, so Speaker 2 00:17:43 They've, you know, since really been diligent about testing their water. And so they have a, you know, a long record of the different contaminants that, um, are in their drinking water. Um, one community leader mentioned to me that, you know, they know that the, um, heavy nitrate contamination for example, comes from nearby farms. Yeah. Because, um, a farm was adjacent to the community actually followed for a year. And, you know, after the following period, um, they, the, the groundwater tests showed that nitrate levels went down by 50% just in that period of love after following. Speaker 1 00:18:33 Wow. Uh, did, does the community, do Speaker 2 00:18:36 You asked me about, um, how, Speaker 2 00:18:41 Oh, you asked me about how the community, um, was able to get money to be able to drill new Wells and right. Well, it, I think, um, this speaks to the, the really the perseverance, um, determination of the community. Um, and this is, you know, well before, of course I joined the organization cuz the work, um, um, getting, um, money for new, uh, Wells for safer water really began in the 1990s where community advocated both locally at the state level. Um, as well as with the us EPA, um, in order to get funding, I believe from the us EPA in order, um, to drill new wealth that are, you know, uh, relatively safer to drink from. Speaker 1 00:19:38 But so, so they got money for the, for the, uh, the second and third Wells as well, or from, from public, you know, from this funding or, or just for the fourth. And I was also curious, was the community doing its own water testing? Speaker 2 00:19:55 I'm not sure exactly. Uh, which Wells or series of Wells, the U S E P a funding was able to provide for mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, but definitely the funding was able to set up the community's latest, um, drinking water system, um, and, and to drove a new wealth, um, that they currently use. Um, and yes, I do their own, uh, on water, uh, quality testing on a regular basis. Speaker 1 00:20:21 Oh, okay. That's interesting. Um, and, uh, okay, so, um, most of the water, as you pointed out is that's, uh, a lot of the water that's used in the Monterey bay region is, is surface water or groundwater. Santa Cruz has its surface water supplies, but a lot of people get, get water from Wells. Um, and I know that there is a, a new California law, uh, about groundwater management. Can you tell us something about that and how it might relate to the issues of concern to you? Speaker 2 00:20:56 Absolutely. Uh, so in 2014, the state of California passed a law called the sustainable groundwater management act, um, which, uh, we call Sigma for short and Cigna really for the first time requires groundwater basins that are heavily reliant on, um, groundwater, um, or different uses. And also groundwater basins are overdrafted to come up with a plan to reach, uh, sustainability by 2040. So water districts, um, all over California, including water districts and other stakeholders, um, in overdrafted basin, like power valley basin and Salina valley basin got together and they formed, um, what's called groundwater sustainability agencies that are supposed to come up with these plants. Um, so all of the critically overdrafted basins, um, come up the plans, including the ones I just mentioned here in the central coast. Um, and so they designed 2020 and are now two years later, kind of in the, the very beginning of phase to implement these plants. Speaker 2 00:22:12 And what's really concerning here, especially in Ms. Salinas valley groundwater basin, is that the Salinas valley, uh, groundwater basin sustainability agency, you know, has not really established affirmative pumping restrictions from, um, agricultural pumping or agricultural use users, um, to prevent water quality. Um, all of the water contamination I just talked about, uh, from getting worse mm-hmm <affirmative> and, and pumping restrictions is important in agriculture because not only is the region groundwater dependent, uh, 90%, uh, of groundwater use actually comes from, um, agricultural uses in the freeness valley mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, and then in also, um, you know, in the last five years, we've not only seeing, you know, no pumping restrictions, but we're also seeing new walls that are being proposed or drilled and, and walls are, um, you know, being drilled deeper and deeper. And, and the groundwater sustainability agency, you know, so far has not done anything, um, to stop this, um, you know, whether it's in, um, over pumping in existing walls or, um, halting new permanent applications, um, nor are they studying impacts of proposed walls or existing walls, um, on drinking water mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, safety, especially in disadvantaged communities. Speaker 2 00:23:51 Um, and, and so all of this is really concerning, um, and monitoring water keeper is certainly keeping a close eye on what the groundwater sustainability agency does, um, in or the agencies do in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties to make sure that, um, you know, the, the very source that all of us rely on ground water, um, is managed in a way that, you know, not simply, um, continue allow to allow the status quo, the status quo of over pumping, but that we really take appropriate measures, um, to, to restrict pumping and to make sure that, um, the water that we do have, and we use it in an equitable way, and we make sure that groundwater quality, um, is safe for all of the community. Speaker 1 00:24:51 Do do the agricultural chemicals, uh, percolate into the deeper aquifers, as much as into the shallow aquifers. I'm just curious about that Speaker 2 00:25:04 And, and reports, um, talking about that, but I, you know, I think that there definitely needs to be more studies done. Mm-hmm <affirmative> to show mm-hmm <affirmative> the correlation, um, of, you know, over pumping and then water contamination seeping deeper and deeper into the deeper aquifers mm-hmm Speaker 1 00:25:24 <affirmative>. Yeah. Um, well, what is the state's legal and regulatory framework for regulating and managing water quality? I mean, we were just talking about the sustainability of groundwater. Now let's let's shift to who is responsible for ensuring water quality and, and what does that entail on the part of, of the state and the other agencies? Speaker 2 00:25:47 Um, right. So in the central coast, um, the central coast regional water quality control board, um, or, you know, regional water board for short mm-hmm <affirmative> is the primary agency. That's responsible for a regulating water quality, um, in general. And it's really done that with surface water, um, you know, um, for, for the past decades. And, and that's because, like I mentioned, that ground sustainable groundwater management act or Sigma really didn't come into force until 2014, 2015. Um, so groundwater water quality and groundwater was, you know, basically, um, not managed at the state or regional level until that wall is passed. Um, but, uh, the central coast water quality board does play a really important role for, you know, setting and enforcing water quality objectives. Um, and for requiring, you know, creating requirements for discharge or, you know, pollution from point sources, uh, which are, you know, for example, waste water from a manufacturing facility, um, or specific point, um, and also for, um, creating requirements for, um, discharge of non-point source pollution, um, like agricultural waste water, as I mentioned a little earlier, um, and for storm water, um, in Monterey county, um, there's also a Monterey county water resources agency, which manages, uh, a series of stitches and pumps that, you know, uh, really manage, uh, land use as well as, um, uh, facilitate water movement in the Salinas valley mm-hmm <affirmative>, um, and the Salinas river. Speaker 2 00:27:51 Uh, and then as we talked about there's, um, you know, emerging groundwater sustainability agencies that are, I mean, just in the beginning of grasping, um, you know, how to measure an extent of overdraft in our groundwater basin in the central coast, and really, um, know putting their heads on, um, creating management plan and implementing that plan to make sure that groundwater is, you know, not only groundwater supply is managed sustainably over time, but also that, um, we don't draw down too much of our supply, which has impacts on ground, you know, groundwater quality, as well as surface water qualities. Um, and then lastly, you have, you know, um, various, uh, drinking water as well as waste water management districts in, you know, the Northern central coast, um, some of which are public and some which are private. So I think the, the question on, uh, who is responsible for water quality in the central coast is that, um, is definitely, um, a good one. And, you know, we're seeing really just a patchwork of regulatory agencies, um, and this is not unique to the central coast, but definitely throughout California as well, where, um, each agency, um, you know, whether it's a wastewater district management district or the central coast regional water quality control board, they hold a piece of the puzzle on both protecting, uh, surface ground and groundwater supply, as well as quality Speaker 1 00:29:35 Did, do these agencies talk to each other, Speaker 2 00:29:38 Sometimes they do Speaker 1 00:29:40 <laugh>. I mean, it sounds like, I mean, an remarkable number of agencies, uh, are responsible as you put put at different parts of the puzzle. And this seems, it seems terribly inefficient <laugh> Speaker 2 00:29:53 <laugh> yes, I, I would definitely agree. Um, let's see on that, that, um, you know, whether you are looking at the water supply world or water quality world, which as I mentioned is, you know, really one the same in the central coast where, um, you know, all of the waters and intermingle and, and, and then end up in the ocean, um, yeah. Is it's really policy, um, legal landscape, um, and it's really complicated politically. Um, and I think the good news is that with, um, the sustainable groundwater management act, um, you know, forcing agencies come up with a plan for, you know, a common groundwater basin, basement, uh, interconnected with surface waters and, you know, also obviously impacting drinking water, um, or surpris drinking water, um, that, that forces agencies to come together. Um, and then, and also, you know, California continues to face drought conditions, um, you know, more frequently and, um, you know, that are more severe. Um, you know, I I'm, I'm seeing agencies come together and really figuring out, you know, what can we do together to make sure that, you know, we talk to each other, um, we're able to supply water in each other's districts, um, and, you know, just manage, you know, what we have, you know, more efficiently, um, and you know, more equitably together. Speaker 1 00:31:32 I'm, I'm curious, I know you're still building your website, but do you have, or do you plan to have some description of, of all of these different agencies and what their responsibilities are? I think that would be enormously educational and illuminating, um, because I'm sort of absolutely, I'm sort of stunned, <laugh> stunned by it. I know that that, uh, the legislature, the, you know, the, the California legislature is confronted, gets confronted by issues. Somebody introduces a bill and the bill says, well, let's start a new agency to address this particular problem. Right. And, um, then that gets passed on to this new agency and they have to start to define what it is they're going to do, but it doesn't seem as though there's much consideration of this, these overlapping responsibilities and, and, you know, mission conflicts, I suppose one could call it. Um, but of course it's not the, the case only with water. Um, well, so let's get back to Monterey water, keep, um, what kinds of projects are you planning? Speaker 2 00:32:42 Okay. Um, well, uh, as we're starting out, you know, our orientation, you know, in second life, I think as I mentioned, uh, we wanna, we wanna continue to carry, um, our legacy work of watch dogging, making sure that, you know, agricultural pollution is regulated in the central coast. And so that's something that, you know, is a focus area for Monterey water keeper of this year and into future years. Um, so when the latest version of the agricultural discharge requirements or what we typically call an agricultural order or ag order, um, when that latest version, the fourth version, uh, was approved by the central coast, regional water quality control board last year, Monterey, um, Waterkeeper, which I mentioned was Monterey Coastkeeper filed a, uh, petition for review, um, to review that order before the state water board. And so, um, when we did that, because, um, you know, even though that there's some, even though there's some good things in the fourth agricultural order, um, uh, you know, it really doesn't do enough, doesn't go far enough in making sure that individual farmers, um, you monitor the water contaminants that's coming out of their farm. Speaker 2 00:34:25 Um, you know, they're contributing to contamination further downstream. Um, and no, we don't, and, and there's not enough accountability. Um, you know, if, and when farmers violate, um, for discharge requirement mm-hmm um, so, so the agricultural water 4.0 is, um, pending, is being reviewed by the state water board and, you know, expect a decision to come soon. And, you know, perhaps as early as this fall, um, and, you know, hopefully the state board will agree with us that, you know, the agricultural order, um, really needs to be strengthened, uh, so that agricultural, um, um, operations can be held accountable, um, and, and make sure that they do their very best to minimize pollution to our water waste from your practices. Yeah. Um, another key project, uh, that I'm alluded to is, um, you are really going to be monitoring closely the groundwater sustainability plan and its implementation in the Salinas valley primarily. Speaker 2 00:35:43 And we're going to be, you know, working side by side with community residents from Santara cooperative, as well as from other disadvantaged communities, um, in the region to make sure that the groundwater sustainable plan is implemented in a way that protects residents, um, and, you know, even helps clean up their contaminated drinking water. Yeah. And finally, um, I'm really excited to announce we're about to kick off a water leaders program starting this fall, um, you know, over the next two years and hopefully more, uh, to facilitate experiential learning trips, uh, for youth from disadvantaged communities like south Monterey county and Watsonville. Um, and so that, you know, years can go to and axis are beautiful, coastal resources, you know, what like Elcor food or the many beaches that we have, and our hope the water leaders program is really to help youth, um, experience in a personal way and learn about, and, and the connection between the quality of their drinking water and coastal waters, um, cause it's all connected. And, you know, my ultimate hope through the water leaders program is to encourage our next generations to become stewards and water champions of their community. Speaker 1 00:37:19 Oh, that sounds, that sounds really exciting. Are, are you going to, uh, involve these students in your, you know, your legal and, and policy activities as well? Speaker 2 00:37:31 I think that's up to the students. Um, uh, okay. No, I would definitely share the history of Monterey Coastkeeper or waterkeepers work and our continuing, um, work and pushing for stronger, um, agricultural pollution control policies, you know, and other legal work that, you know, will do in the future. Um, and, and I, that can, um, youth from communities, um, like, and Herra, or other disadvantaged communities, um, or even if they're not from a disadvantaged community, have stories to tell, you know, on the safety of they're drinking water. Yeah. Um, and, and, and are probably already leaders in their community in one way or another mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, so the, the water leaders program is really to facilitate, um, experiential learning from youth that, yeah. You know, I, I know are taking leadership, um, in, in, in the community and, you know, I hope that, um, you know, through this program we can, you know, learn from each other and support each other and, and together advocate for cleaner environment for everybody. Speaker 1 00:38:50 And you are listening to sustainability now here on K squid. My name is Ronnie Lipchitz. I'm the host of the program. And my guest today is Chelsea two, who has just been appointed executive director of Monterey water, keep a new organization, uh, based in Monterey, but concerned about water quality, uh, in the entire region. Um, Chelsea, there are many water organizations in the, in the region and of course around the state. So how does Monterey water keep differ from these other organizations? Speaker 2 00:39:28 So I think we are different and unique in two ways in that Monterey water keeper really works at all of the key points where people influence the water cycle mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, and what I mean by that is we work on, um, reducing pollution from the source. Um, you know, whether our policy for, uh, whether we're pushing for policy to set high regulatory standards, uh, to re reduce nitrate or pesticide pollution input from, um, cultural operations or from other sources to, you know, all the way to the other end of, um, you know, working with community members to advocate for cleaning up their contaminated water. And so, you know, really look at water, um, as, uh, a continuum of work of which all of these points are really important from the beginning or end. And, um, and, you know, we, we do it all from the beginning of, uh, to the end on water quality protection. Speaker 2 00:40:39 Mm-hmm <affirmative> mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I think most importantly, we, we are the only organization in the region that, you know, brings water quality enforcement. Um, and this could look like litigating policies that violate water quality loss, um, Monterey Coastkeeper. Um, the predecessor to Monterey water keep, um, has, has brought different lawsuits against the regional, um, water board on failing to adopt strong, um, agricultural pollution control policies. Um, and, and, you know, and with, it could also look like moving forward, Monterey water keeper, bringing citizen suits to ensure that pollution, um, polluting facilities comply with their discharge permit limits. So, um, essentially, um, in addition to our science based policy, uh, well as education and equitable access programs, we are not afraid to take legal action if, and when it's necessary because of this, you know, through legal action, we can create that necessary backstop to make sure that water quality requirements are met at the end of the day. And that pollution is minimized, um, from the source so that we can maximize the health of both people and natural, natural in the central coast. Speaker 1 00:42:14 Okay. Um, last couple of questions. The first one is, so what can people who are in affected communities do to, uh, to push, as my colleagues says, to push the noodle forward on this, Speaker 2 00:42:32 The first thing that community members can do is to know that their voices matter and that they should attend, um, you know, their local water district, uh, meeting or small water systems, um, management meetings, cuz that's really where decision about, um, the safety and the cost of their drinking water are, you know, are being made. And I think zooming out to the regional level, um, I'd encourage community members to, um, know individually or work with Monterey water keeper to go before the Celina's valley or other, um, groundwater sustainability agencies and make sure that the decisions being made there in those sustainability agencies, um, are benefiting or at least not harmful to disadvantaged community residents. Mm-hmm, <affirmative>, there's a lot going on in, you know, various agencies in the myriad of agencies that control water supply and or that manage water supply and water quality. Um, so think starting from, um, you know, where you live and, and finding out where the east local and regional meetings are happening is important and speaking, um, you know, your everyday experience and, um, in order to educate for the highest water quality protection in your neighborhood is so important. Speaker 1 00:44:06 All right. And what can people do to, um, get involved with Monterey water, keep, and now I'm thinking about more than people in the affected communities, the, you know, interested members of the public. Speaker 2 00:44:20 Yes, you, you mentioned that we're still building our website and that's true. Um, because really formally launched in July. So we're, you know, continuing our legacy of advocacy while building our infrastructure, but we do have a website and, um, folks can feel free to visit it as we're building it out, www dot, um, Monterey water keeper, one word.org. And, um, you'll find my email on the website. Um, would I be able to share my email here Ronnie? Speaker 1 00:44:56 Sure, Speaker 2 00:44:57 Sure. Okay. And, uh, folks should definitely feel free to reach out to me by emailing [email protected] as well. Speaker 1 00:45:11 Okay. Well Chelsea, thank you so much for being my guest on sustainability now. Um, I hope I wish you, uh, you know, you have my best wishes and I, and I wish for great success for Monterey water keep, and that will be hearing more about it in the future. Speaker 2 00:45:28 Thank you very much. Speaker 1 00:45:30 All right. Uh, you are listening to K S QD 90.7 FM and K squid.org streaming on the internet. As a reminder shows from the five to 6:00 PM Sunday slot our rebroadcast, the following Tuesday mornings from six to 7:00 AM. If you'd like to listen to previous shows, you can find them at K squid.org/sustainability. Now, as well as Spotify, Google podcasts and podcasts among other podcast sites. I wanna thank Mary wheelin for pointing me to Chelsea two as a potential guest on sustainability now, and to the rest of you. Thanks for listening and thanks to all the staff and volunteers who make case squid, your community radio station and keep it going. And so until next every other Sunday, sustainability now Speaker 0 00:46:52 See that our sleep water.