The Community Water Center currently coordinates and provides staff to the AGUA Coalition (la Asociación de Gente Unida por el Agua, or the Association of People United for Water).
AGUA is a regional, grassroots coalition of impacted community residents and allied non-profit organizations dedicated to securing safe, clean, and affordable drinking water for the San Joaquin Valley. AGUA was formed in 2006 in response to widespread contamination of valley drinking water sources, recognizing the need for a united voice of impacted communities to advocate for action by responsible agencies. AGUA currently includes 54 members from 26 impacted communities and 12 non-profit organizations. AGUA meets on a monthly basis and is run by a Coordinating Council comprised of representatives from each community who vote on campaign activities, events, coalition governance, and finances.
AGUA organizes communities to address their immediate drinking water needs and advocate for actions that target the root cause of drinking water contamination in the Central Valley. AGUA aims to:
• Share information on community drinking water problems, opportunities, and solutions;
• Push for regional solutions to address the root causes of drinking water contamination; and
• Mobilize residents to participate in critical actions, events, and opportunities to address the drinking water crisis in the Central Valley.
Youth for AGUA is a team of 11 youth from communities throughout Tulare County who have been a key force in driving AGUA’s overall work, and who represent the incredible energy, potential, and power of young people becoming engaged in the fight for water justice. After attending AGUA meetings with their families, these youth organized themselves to represent the critical voice of the Central Valley’s future leaders. Youth for AGUA members have testified at public hearings, gathered support letters for the Human Right to Water, organized environmental justice tours, and connected with other communities and young people working on environmental justice issues throughout the country. In 2010, Youth for AGUA were featured in the Nickelodeon News segment, “Our Thirsty World” alongside youth from Honduras, Bangladesh, and New Jersey.
If you are interested in becoming a member of AGUA, we invite you to pledge your support: AGUA Pledge (English / Spanish)
To learn more, please contact Wendy Avila, acting Coordinator for AGUA.
Asociación de Gente Unida por el Agua (AGUA) Members:
Communities
Alpaugh – Comité para un Mejor Alpaugh
Arvin
Cutler – Vecinos Unidos
Ducor – Si Se Puede en Ducor
Earlimart – Comité para el Bienestar de Earlimart
East Orosi – Vecinos Unidos
Lindsay – Quinto Sol de America
Orosi – Vecinos Unidos
Plainview – Unidos en Plainview
Poplar
Tonyville – La Voz de Tonyville
Tooleville – Unidos Para Cambio en Tooleville
Posos Privados
Sultana
West Goshen
Pixley
Strathmore
Seville – Comité para el Bienestar de Seville
Porterville
Merced
East Porterville
Yettem
Tulare
Visalia
Woodville Labor Camp
Organizations
Californians for Pesticide Reform
California Rural Legal Assistance
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
Community Water Center
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Proyecto Campesino