The Athal Mutual Water Company provides water to around 150 people on the Eastside of Bakersfield, and according to residents, it’s normal for the water to have an odor or look like it contains chemicals.
“Because our water still, now that it’s back, it’s still looking oily. Like I looked at it yesterday under the light, and it still looks oily. But I mean, that’s what we’re used to, but we shouldn’t be, because that’s not safe. That’s not healthy for us,” said Norma Hurtado about her water after going nearly a week without water due to a broken pump.
According to the California Water Board, the Athal Mutual Water Company has had a failing water system since 2018 due to elevated levels of 1,2,3-TCP (1,2,3-Trichloropropane). The board sent them and Fuller Acres Mutual Water Company, which is also failing, a letter to consolidate with the Lamont Public Utility District (PUD) in 2022. According to both the California Water Board and Lamont PUD, the Athal Mutal Water Company has not been very responsive to the process.
The California Water Board website states that 1,2,3-TCP is a manmade chemical found in hazardous waste sites and can possibly cause cancer. The community has been advised to boil the water before cooking, and they either buy drinking water or receive water from Self-Help Enterprises if they are enrolled. However, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), people can also be exposed by brushing their teeth and by inhaling vapor when showering or washing dishes.
Scott Taylor, General Manager with Lamont PUD, stated they are ready and willing to take in the Athal Community; however, the leadership of the company does not join any meetings.
“We are happy to bring them into our purview. The California State Water Board is willing to fund it, but the Athal Water Company needs to say yes. That’s where the holdup is. It’s not the residents, it’s the management,” said Taylor.
The Athal Mutual Water Company is not only said to be unresponsive to partners, but community members also report having a hard time getting information from the company. Hurtado also stated that when they call to report the chemical in the water, the company is dismissive of their complaints. She has also heard from other community members that they were getting ticketed for water waste or a shut-off notice for their water if they were a day late to pay, so many people choose to keep quiet.
“For any little thing that they do, you know they can see the smallest thing, and they want to fine them. So I feel like a lot of people are scared, and they don’t like to call,” said Hurtado.
Hurtado stated that some residents have not yet received their bills for November, December, or January, but were charged. She stated that when they called the company, they were told the statements had already been sent out.
“Bill or no bill, we are still expected to pay without even knowing the due amount,” said Hurtado.
Currently, Hurtado stated the community can’t drink water from their home, and while some of them are now on service to receive water from Self-Help Enterprises, they had been buying their drinking water years before that.
Self-Help Enterprises has been involved in the community by providing water to enrolled households and emergency response when the community did not have water at all. Jessi Snyder, Program Director for Community Development at Self-Help Enterprises, stated that they also have a fund they originally planned to use to help the water company with the well; however, the company has a large amount of money in the bank from a settlement from the 1,2,3-TCP contamination. They were not eligible for the emergency fund grant and had to repair it themselves.
Hurtado stated that the residents want to be with the Lamont PUD because they believe it will lower the number of issues they have with their water. One issue was when the water pump broke around New Years leaving the community without water for about a week. A temporary pump was installed; however, a permanent one is currently being installed, according to Snyder.
“It would limit the type of maintenance issues like these that would happen to us,” said Hurtado. “They were explaining to us that there is only so much that they can do, just because they are a private company.”
Bryan Potter, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer from the California Water Board, made a similar comment, stating that smaller water companies often struggle to remain in compliance, in general, due to limited resources and staff. He explained that when the regulations changed in 2018 for the level of 1,2,3-TCP, many companies were no longer in compliance.
Since the initial letter to consolidate in 2022, the Water Board has almost completed the process needed to force Athal Mutual Water Company to consolidate with Lamont PUD if it chooses to. Part of this process was three public community meetings, and the last one was held on September 23, 2025. If a mandatory order is sent, Potter explained that there will be directives in place to hold Athal Mutal Water Company accountable.
“So there’ll be directives in the mandatory order, just like there is directives in their compliance order that will state that they need to do certain things by either certain deadlines or have regular participation,” said Potter. “And if they don’t, they would be subject to additional enforcement from the state board that could be just citations, or it could even lead to citations with fines or a financial penalty for not complying with their order. So that’s something that could be on the table for them.”
Potter stated they hope that if the letter is sent that Athal Mutual Water Company chooses to comply, and added that the board is interested in the company’s long-term sustainability and compliance.
According to Potter, current projections have the consolidation completed by 2029.
“The success of that is contingent on a few different things. One is how quickly these systems can work together. Like I said, Lamont has been actively engaged in moving the ball forward. Fuller Acres has been actively engaged, Athal not as much. So, you know, that could end up impeding progress. And where the state board, Division of Drinking Water, finds that Athal’s not participating or complying with either its compliance order, or potentially the mandatory order, will escalate our enforcement action to help compel them,” said Potter.
He added that they are “cautiously optimistic” that they can meet the current plan.
“What really matters is that the customers of the water system receive compliant water and as quickly as possible. So we want to see them be active participants in that,” said Potter.
Athal Mutual Water Company has not responded to commnet. Three texts were sent to the President, all left on “read,” and a voicemail was left for the general public number.
