Virus Prompts California Governor to Ban Water Shutoffs (1)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order Thursday halting water shutoffs to homes and small businesses as part of his response to expanding coronavirus infections.

More than 100 public and private water supplies have voluntarily stopped shutoffs but the order now applies statewide. In addition, the order requires water that had been shut off to residences since March 4 be turned back on.

“This executive order will help people who have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic by ensuring they have water service,” Newsom said in a news release. “Water is critical to our very lives, and in this time, it is critically important that it is available to everyone.”

California is the most populous state in a group that includes Maine, Massachusetts, and Michigan to order moratoriums.

“When the first instruction to every Californian is ‘wash your hands often,’ it’s crazy to think that many residents of the state don’t have that option in their own homes,” Food & Water Watch California Director Alexandra Nagy said in a statement welcoming the executive order.

Newsom announced the order during a press briefing. The State Water Resources Control Board will issue guidance to water systems going forward.

An estimated 1 million residents in the state don’t have access to clean drinking water supplies.

Clean Water Action, Community Water Center, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, and NextGen Policy had pressured the governor to stop shutoffs as communities in areas with contaminated water were having a hard time finding bottled water on shore shelves or through other means.

The groups called the executive order a major step forward that recognizes a basic human right, not a privilege.

“The Covid-19 crisis demonstrates that access to safe and affordable water is imperative for public health, for combating the spread of disease, and for ensuring that people can stay safe in their homes,” the safe water advocates said in a statement.