Location: Robbins, Sutter County, California

Problem: The drinking water at Robbins Elementary School has arsenic contamination, making it unsafe for students to consume

Solution: Through the Agua4All program, RCAC will install Point Of Use filtration and water bottle filling stations at various locations throughout the school.

Robbins Elementary School is located in Robbins, Sutter County, California. The school has 143 students ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade.

The school gets its water from the Sutter County Waterworks District, which has one groundwater well, a backup well and a storage tank to serve the community of just more than 300 people. The well system treats for iron and manganese but there are high arsenic levels in the groundwater. As a result, it is unsafe for students to drink.

All but two of the school’s drinking fountains are shut down or disconnected, and none of them are accessible to students with disabilities. RCAC’s Agua4All staff completed an assessment and recommended that the school install multiple POU filtration systems throughout the school including the gym, cafeteria and outdoors. They also recommended installing accessible drinking fountains tied into the POU systems. RCAC staff assisted the school to apply for project funding through the state’s Drinking Water for Schools (DWS) Grant Program.

During 2014, with The California Endowment’s support, RCAC and its local partners launched the Agua4All program in Eastern Coachella Valley and southern Kern County schools. Agua4All installs water bottle filling stations in schools, parks and community centers, and includes water treatment where contamination is an issue, as it is in Robbins Elementary School.   The program advocates for sustainable long-term solutions to ensure safe drinking water for all. The pilot program concluded in early 2017, and RCAC expanded Agua4All throughout California.

Agua4All has successfully raised awareness as to the lack of safe drinking water access in schools and communities. Staff worked with a drinking water advocates coalition to successfully secure an additional $6.8 million in the 2018-19 state budget for the DWS Grant Program.