An unquenched thirst

Rural Valley residents can't take clean water for granted

Craig Kohlruss/The Fresno Bee

Every few days, Valeriana Alvarado of Tooleville loads up empty 5-gallon water jugs to refill in nearby Exeter so her family will have clean water to drink.

Good water gone bad

Pure Sierra water turns toxic in nitrate-laced Valley soil

John Walker/The Fresno Bee

From Orosi, the snow atop the Sierra looks clean and pure. But by the time snowmelt reaches the town's wells, it's tainted with nitrates.

Awash in red tape

Efforts to deliver small towns from bad water get lost in a bureaucratic maze

Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee

Second-grader Daniela Saldana, 7, sips water from the bottom of a paper cup outside the cafeteria during recess at Stone Corral Elementary in Seville. The school has two water dispensers on the school grounds and one in each classroom.