I grew up in Southern California and have lived in Orange County (San Clemente) for most of my life. I have spent my life traveling to remote destinations lacking many of the things that we take for granted here in the US. One of the most important things lacking in many developing areas across the world is accessible safe drinking water. I have made it a personal mission to bring safe drinking water to locations that are lacking. There is much work to do. That is why we support organizations like Water Wells for Africa.
One of the things that I have realized is that we are truly fortunate to have everything that we have in Orange County. The climate is wonderful, the natural resources are plentiful, and the lifestyle is comfortable. To own a home in Orange County is a true blessing without a doubt. Our home is, of course, our most important investment. As a result we spend energy and resources making our homes comfortable and safe. We focus on things like interior design, landscaping, energy systems (solar), security systems, etc...We make sure that we drive safe cars, we want our children to go to safe schools, we try to feed our families safe, nutritious food, etc...
One of the most important things, however, seems to get lost in the shuffle. Just like the remote developing locations that I mentioned earlier, that lack safe drinking water, in Orange County California, one of the most desirable places in the world to live, we are facing a similar situation. You might say "wait a minute...what are you talking about? We have spent over a million dollars on our Orange County home and you are saying that our drinking water is not safe?" In April 2024, the median listing home price in Orange County, CA was $1.3M, trending up 13% year-over-year. The median listing home price per square foot was $697. The median home sold price was $1.2M-Realtor.com.
Yes that is what I'm saying. And of course, it is not just Orange County. However, in a place where the median home sells for $1.2 M, the assumption is that the water that comes into our home is safe. This is not necessarily true. Let me explain. When we look at standards for drinking water set by the EPA, most Orange County Water Districts are in compliance with health-based EPA drinking water standards. This sounds good, however, these standard are unfortunately extremely low for a variety of reasons. If you want the real story, you need to look at organizations that look deeper. The organization that does this better than any other is the Environmental Working Group.
EWG Fights for You
Since 1993, the Environmental Working Group has shined a spotlight on outdated legislation, harmful agricultural practices and industry loopholes that pose a risk to our health and the health of our environment.
Whether it’s on Capitol Hill or in communities across America, we make our voices heard, changing the debate over environmental health and putting the most important people – you and your family – at the center of the conversation.
Let's look at the EWG information for the Mesa Water District in Orange County (Costa Mesa.) This is essentially the case for all of Orange County. Even though the Water Districts are in compliance with FDA standards (which as I mentioned are extremely low) that does not mean that there not are an array of contaminants in the water that our families drink on a daily basis.
Our Mission will always be to provide clean, safe, accessible drinking water to remote regions around the world. Along with that, we feel that it is our obligation is to make sure that OC residents are aware of what is in their drinking water. This is where I grew up. I feel that this information is vitally important to the health and well being of our families living in one of the most desirable places in the world. We work with one of the nations leading water filtration companies if there is an interest in addressing water quality.
Reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about the drinking water in your Orange County Water District. My email is below. Let me know your Water District and I will send you a report.
