Why It’s Legal To Pump Untreated Canal Water Into Californians’ Homes

It takes Humberto Lugo several minutes to explain how the home he is standing in front of actually gets its water. It’s a small, stucco house dwarfed by an expanse of dusty farm fields that sit mostly fallow in September, awaiting the next planting of winter vegetables. An irrigation canal runs by the front of the property, and brings water not just to the surrounding farms but also to homes.