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.

Don't Drink the Water

Goshen gets running water; bacteria still an issue

Residents of west Goshen again have running water to their homes but are being told not to drink it until bacteria levels go down.

Don't Drink the Water

Red tape ties up possible relief from dirty water

SEVILLE -- Turn on the tap in Seville. Sand might pour into sinks, toilets and shower stalls. Children aren't allowed to use drinking fountains at school. Water pipes lie cracked and exposed in a murky irrigation ditch. It doesn't take a water engineer to see something has gone terribly wrong here.
Read more
- Story: Solutions to tap-water crisis frustratingly tough to come by
- Link: Special report: Don't Drink the Water