California Groundwater Contamination Sparks Legal Battle

Residents and Farmers Disagree on Fertilizer Usage Amid Concerns Over Nitrate Pollution

California residents and farmers are in a legal battle over the state's groundwater contamination caused by nitrates from fertilizers.
The San Jerardo cooperative and environmental organizations have sued the state demanding stricter rules on fertilizer usage.
Farmers argue that nitrogen, a component of fertilizers, is essential for crop growth and that they have already reduced fertilizer usage significantly.
Groundwater contamination disproportionately affects low-income and Latino residents, many of whom work in the fields where the nitrates originate.
Efforts to regulate groundwater use have increased due to years of drought and potentially drier winters due to climate change.