Racial Equity at the Water Boards

The Santa Ana Water Board adopted Resolution Condemning Racism, Xenophobia, Bigotry, and Racial Injustice and Strengthening Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access, and Anti-Racism in the Santa Ana Region (Resolution) at its March 15, 2024 Board meeting. The Resolution is available at the following link (R8-2024-0029 Resolution Racial Equity). The resolution affirms the Santa Ana Water Board’s commitment to accept responsibility for confronting structural institutional racism and advancing racial equity within the Santa Ana Water Boards purview. This commitment aligns with the State Water Resources Control Boards ongoing efforts. The vision is that race should not predict a person’s access to or quality of water resources.

The Resolution reaffirms the Santa Ana Water Board’s commitment to uphold the human right to water, protect public health, beneficial uses, and particularly address communities that carry a disproportionate burden from environmental pollution within the Santa Ana River watershed. Our commitment begins with understanding these environmental issues as told by the impacted communities themselves. To understand the issues requires improved communication with disproportionately burdened communities in our region.

The Resolution directs Santa Ana Water Board staff to foster a workforce that competently integrates racial equity into the region’s water quality program, and to develop strategies for:

• Effectively reaching and meaningfully engaging with BIPOC communities,
• Involving and partnering with Tribes, stakeholders, and other interested parties in our decision-making processes,
• Providing accessible, open and transparent opportunities for people to participate in our public meetings, hearings, and workshops,
• Meeting people in their communities and spaces to seek out their perspectives,
• Supporting communities with building capacity to advance racial equity and environmental justice,
• Improving our communications by providing more plain-language materials, and
• Addressing barriers to public participation, including language, digital, and time-of-day access.

The Santa Ana Water Board announces the launch of their Racial Equity Action Plan (2024-2029 Racial Equity Action Plan). Santa Ana Water Board staff has prepared the Racial Equity Action Plan designed as the implementation pathway to address the racial inequities and environmental injustices through the water quality programs administered by the region. The Santa Ana Water Board’s Racial Equity Action Plan is a compilation of goals, actions, and metrics intended to advance efforts to create a future where we equitably preserve, enhance, and restore Santa Ana River’s water resources. It will be used to guide the Santa Ana Water Board staff with the execution of their programs over the next five years, so that progress is made toward fairly applied regulatory oversight and requirements. In addition, the Santa Ana Water Board is working towards enhancement of public outreach activities to hear from potentially impacted communities. By carrying out the tasks identified in the Santa Ana Water Board Racial Equity Action Plan, Santa Ana Water Board staff are working to create a more inclusive public outreach program.