In Silicon Valley’s backyard, Pescadero struggles with unclean water, rising rates ...Middle East

When it rains in Pescadero, Irma Rodriguez gets to work — lining up containers on her patio to catch as much water as she can.

It may seem unusual in a town just 30 miles southwest of the wealth and power of Silicon Valley along the Peninsula’s coast. But for Rodriguez, it’s a matter of survival.

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For the past 20 years, she has relied on water pumped from a nearby creek to bathe and wash dishes. But when it rains, the water turns dark and murky — “like chocolate,” she says — forcing her to depend on rainwater to brush her teeth or flush the toilet in the tiny rental that she shares with her daughter.

Her experience reflects a chronic crisis in Pescadero: a lack of access to clean water.

The small rural town has one public water system, and it serves less than half of the population. Now, San Mateo County is preparing to raise rates for that system — potentially tripling costs — deepening concerns among residents already struggling to get by and not addressing those who have no clean running water at all.

A stark economic divide runs through the county. In 2020, U.S. Census data showed the average income for residents countywide was $132,000. In Pescadero, it was just $42,000 — with many residents relying on Social Security, other government benefits, or working as farm laborers.

For many of the town’s roughly 600 residents — a figure locals say vastly undercounts those living in crowded farmworker housing — wages are even lower. Some townspeople told this news organization that many farmworkers in the area earn just $20,000 to $30,000 a year.

Of the seven public water systems within 2 miles of Pescadero assessed by the California State Water Resources Control Board in 2024, six were either failing or at risk of failing. Only one — County Service Area No. 11, or CSA-11 — was deemed to have “no risk.”

The “no risk” rating doesn’t reflect how many people in the area actually get their water from creeks or private wells that may never be tested, leaving their water safety uncertain. In the two decades Rodriguez has lived in Pescadero, she said her water has never been tested.

Before CSA-11 was created, the town’s residents relied on domestic wells. But by the 1970s and 1980s, county officials found dangerously high levels of nitrates and naturally occurring salts in many wells. In response, CSA-11 was established in 1988 to fund and operate a public groundwater system.

Today, that system includes two wells, a 135,000-gallon storage tank and a distribution network. It serves about 90 residential and commercial connections — less than half of Pescadero’s estimated 205 households, according to Census data.

Rodriguez is among those whose dwelling is not connected to the system.

“We don’t have potable water. I’m worried because it isn’t water that’s 100% purified,” she said. “Pescadero is a historic town, and they want to keep it that way. They don’t want to add housing, they don’t want to add water, they don’t want to make any changes. But there are farmers here. There are farmworkers working in the fields. We’re already here.”

For residents like Rodriguez, getting clean water is a daily challenge. Some drive a half-hour round trip to Half Moon Bay — or even an hour to Santa Cruz — to buy bottled water in bulk. Others rely on neighbors or local churches willing to share water.

The shortage touches nearly every part of daily life. Sediment and inconsistency in her water rendered her washing machine unusable, Rodriguez says. Many farmworkers depend on mobile laundry services just to wash their clothes.

For those connected to CSA-11, a different concern is looming: steep rate hikes. The county had planned to raise water rates starting in July, but during an April 8 Board of Supervisors meeting, officials received 52 written protests. Although some were deemed technically deficient, the board ultimately decided to pause the increases — at least for now.

Rates were set to triple over the next five years. County officials say the increases are necessary to keep Pescadero’s water system running safely and sustainably. The revenue would help cover rising operating and maintenance costs, repay a loan brought on by a major 2011 water outage, and build a reserve for future emergencies.

Longtime resident and rancher Dante Silvestri said rate hikes would hurt low-income residents the most.

“It would hit us hard,” he said.

County Supervisor Ray Mueller, who represents the coastside, said the Department of Public Works will revisit the proposal and re-engage with residents.

“There’s no guarantee the next proposal will be lower,” Mueller said. “But they’re working to see if there’s anything that can make the increase more palatable. I still plan to go out and knock on doors, to meet with ratepayers and hold public hearings to explain why the rate increase — if there is one — is necessary.”

Another persistent challenge in Pescadero, the housing shortage, is deeply intertwined with water issues.

Despite wide stretches of farmland, development is constrained by the lack of water infrastructure, among other issues limiting new construction.

Rita Mancera, executive director of the nonprofit Puente, which works primarily with immigrant farmworkers, said many residents are reluctant to report poor water quality for fear their homes will be declared uninhabitable, putting them at risk of eviction in an already tight housing market.

“I think we could still preserve this place and build affordable housing,” Mancera said. “There’s a lot of money around here. The people with resources, the community, the county — we need to work together to figure it out. How do we distribute that in an equitable way so people can actually live?

“Honestly, we’re not asking for much. Livable housing conditions. Water. I go home, turn on the faucet, and I don’t have to think about anything. That’s not the lifestyle of many people here.”

Despite the hardships, Pescadero remains a postcard-perfect destination, known for its beaches, farmland and lighthouse. Tourists fill its quaint downtown on weekends. But for locals, the heart of town beats in quieter spaces: the post office, the community center, the fields.

And yet, frustration runs deep. Progress on water access has been slow. Many feel left behind — or forgotten altogether.

Pescadero Middle/High School has not had access to potable water for at least 27 years. A project to connect the campus to CSA-11 was approved earlier this month and is expected to be completed by 2027.

“When they have sports, they have to let the other teams know they don’t have potable water so they can prepare,” Mancera said. “What the students themselves are saying is that they feel embarrassed about the situation at the high school.”

Mancera doesn’t just want new connections or adjusted rates, but a long-term commitment to clean, accessible water.

“I think the county should work with the community and establish what is going to be the water plan for this community, not just now, but for the next 30 years,” she said.

Michael Polacek, a resident who has studied the town’s water issues extensively, said the solution may lie in applying state resources more effectively.

“So the magic wand would be: run this thing like a business, reach out to everybody that wants to connect to it, and let them connect under a program called SAFER,” he said, referring to California’s Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience program. “All humans have rights to safe water.”

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