SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, Calif. — A new study linking nitrate contamination to birth defects hits hard in San Joaquin Valley where nitrate contamination threatens the city’s drinking water for 250,000 people, according to the Sacramento Bee.
In 2012 research showed that nitrate pollution is extensive and expanding in the underground water of Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties, stated the article.
Some of the birth defects include spina bifida, cleft palate and missing limbs.
Repairs have been slowed down in many small towns because of bureaucratic and funding delays, noted the article.
“This contamination is so dangerous," said Maria Herrera of the Visalia-based Community Water Center. "Many towns need help with their drinking water, and we're still not seeing enough."