Vital Signs’ Champions of Change series features inspiring local activists working to create a better future for their communities.

In California’s Central Valley, fertile fields and sprawling orchards disguise an uncomfortable truth. While the region supplies a third of the nation’s produce, many residents of agricultural towns like El Nido, where Rosa Inguanzo lives, contend with water so polluted they can’t safely drink or bathe with it.  

Concerned about foamy, foul-smelling tap water, Inguanzo, a community organizer, attended the Water Leadership Institute, created by Environmental Defense Fund and Rural Community Assistance Corporation.  

At the institute, she learned the complexities of how California’s water supply is managed and distributed — and how voices from communities like hers are often left out of local water decisions. Inguanzo returned home determined to share what she had learned with neighbors who believed that they lacked the power to make a difference. Soon, she was training volunteers in water advocacy and connecting residents with scientists, doctors and other experts.  

Inguanzo’s work stands out for her remarkable ability to bridge worlds — uniting officials and residents who had previously regarded one another as outsiders. As more of her neighbors serve on water boards and attend meetings, she’s breaking down the barriers that often isolate rural communities from decision-making. 

For anyone hesitant about getting involved in an issue of environmental justice, Inguanzo offers this advice: “If we’re not part of the meetings, we’re left out of decisions. We cannot let others decide for us.”  

Conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell us something that many people may not know about your community.  

Rural Merced County has a lot of close-knit communities that are facing the severe challenge of water contamination. Many residents, including families like mine, can’t rely on tap water for drinking because it’s unsafe. Instead, we spend a lot of money buying clean water — an expense that adds up quickly. 

The contaminants in our water include arsenic, PFAS and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, a chemical used as a soil fumigant. A recent study found manganese levels high enough to pose serious health risks, including cognitive disabilities in children. It’s a hidden crisis that deeply affects our community's well-being.