The State Water Board Orders the Mandatory Consolidation of Two Orosi Water Systems in Tulare County to Advance the Human Right to Water

By Professor David Sandino

When the California Legislature adopted the Human Right to Water (HRTW) in 2012, it knew that turning this abstract principle into reality for millions of Californians who have deficient drinking water supplies would take more legislative action, programs, and funding. In 2015, the Legislature authorized the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to order the consolidation of a water system with deficient water serving disadvantaged communities with another nearby water system that can provide improved drinking water. The Water Justice Clinic provides legal assistance in these efforts to implement the HRTW.

In an important decision supporting the HRTW, the State Water Board on February 27, 2026, issued a mandatory consolidation order to join the Orosi Public Utility District and East Orosi Community Services District (Order No. 24-E1-26R-001 for Mandatory Consolidation). The State Water Board determined that East Orosi’s water supply did not meet the nitrate contamination standards and that it lacked the technical, managerial, and financial capacity to operate the water system. After a voluntary consolidation effort failed, the State Water Board ordered the mandatory consolidation of the entities. The State Water Board made all required findings to support the consolidation pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 116682. This order provides a blueprint for how mandatory consolidation may be pursued if voluntary efforts to turn the HRTW from an idea into reality fail.