Maria Olivera has lived in the rural community of Tooleville, in California’s Central Valley, since 1974. During that time, she’s not sure if the water in her home has ever been safe. For decades, she heard whispers about the nitrates and chemical pollutants, only to learn 15 years ago that the rumors were true. Now, like her neighbors, she uses bottled water to drink and cook with, but she still bathes in the water that comes from the faucet.
“Some people—they say they have rashes [from bathing