California’s state auditor blasted the agency responsible for helping poor communities fix their tainted water systems Tuesday, saying the it has tied up the process in red tape and forced nearly 1 million residents to wait months or years for help.
Acting State Auditor Michael Tilden said the State Water Resources Control Board takes an average of 33 months to approve grants and loans requested by these communities to clean up water systems contaminated by excess amounts of nitrate, arsenic and other dangerous chemicals. Four years ago, the process took half as long.
The board has issued $1.7 billion in grants and loans in the past five years, the audit said.
