CalEnviro Screen 2.0: Summed number of pollutants across all water bodies designated as impaired within the area.

Data Source: GeoTracker Database, State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)  Rivers, lakes, estuaries and marine waters in California are important for  many different uses. Water bodies used for recreation may also be important to the quality of life of nearby residents if subsistence fishing is critical to their livelihood (CalEPA, 2002). Water bodies also support abundant flora and fauna. Changes in aquatic environments can affect biological diversity and overall health of ecosystems. Aquatic species important to local economies may be impaired if the habitats where they seek food and reproduce are changed. Marine wildlife like fish and shellfish that are exposed to toxic substances may potentially expose local consumers to toxic substances as well (CalEPA, 2002). Excessive hardness, unpleasant odor or taste, turbidity, color, weeds, and trash in the waters are types of pollutants affecting water aesthetics (CalEPA, 2002), which in turn can affect nearby communities.

Communities of color, low-income communities, and tribes generally
depend on the fish, aquatic plants, and wildlife provided by nearby
surface waters to a greater extent than the general population (NEJAC,
2002). Some communities that rely on resources provided by nearby
surface waters have populations of lower socioeconomic status than the general population. For example, certain fishing communities along California’s northern coast have lower educational attainment and median income than California as a whole (Pomeroy et al., 2010). Low-income communities in California that rely on fishing and waterfront businesses have been affected by a recent decline in the fishing community (California State Lands Commission, 2011). Lower per capita income has been associated with increased levels of certain surface water pollutants, as have a higher percentage of minorities and people of color (Farzin and Grogan, 2012). In addition, a study in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta found that fish consumption for certain subsistence fishers was higher than rates used for planning and regulation of polluted waters, and that mercury consumption from fish was significantly above US EPA advisory levels (Shilling et al.,2010)/

Two studies, one in England and one in San Antonio, Texas, found that
people who lived near water bodies with significant impairments were
more likely to believe that the water bodies were safe, and therefore to
visit them more often, than people who lived further away (Georgiou et
al.,2000; Brody et al., 2004).
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