This Central Coast community is getting arsenic-free drinking water after 10 years

Kettleman City now has access to drinking water free of arsenic.

The community, which is home to approximately 1,500 people, is located in Kings County just east of San Luis Obispo County.

The state has been working with local authorities for 10 years to mitigate arsenic contamination in the groundwater wells that served the community.

On Nov. 18, a new surface water treatment plant began supplying the community with drinking water. The plant was funded primarily by the California State Water Resources Control Board along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Completion and operation of the surface water treatment plant provides a reliable source of safe drinking water for Kettleman City.

The small community has had an infamous bout of childhood cancers that some locals blamed on bad water.

State water board staff attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Dec. 18 in Kettleman City to celebrate completion of construction for the new water treatment plant.

The board initially approved a $7.5 million grant for Kettleman City Community Services District for construction in February 2017. When construction bids came back higher than anticipated, the grant was amended to $8.5 million.

The USDA also provided $2.5 million in grant funding, bringing the project cost to slightly more than $11 million.

In addition to the construction funding, the district has received $539,620 in emergency grant funding from the state water board since 2013 for the purchase and delivery of bottled water to residential customers due to their primary drinking water source being contaminated with arsenic