On the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, we should celebrate its successes. San Francisco has stopped the dumping of raw sewage into the Bay. Rivers no longer catch on fire due to flammable contaminants. Wildlife has returned to once abandoned estuaries and wetlands. California has made great strides in protecting our waters for swimming, fishing, and other human activities — in affluent areas.

California’s disadvantaged and black and brown communities continue to deal with unacceptable and dramatic levels of water pollution. The sad truth is, 50 years after the enactment of the Clean Water Act, we simply have not taken pollution in disadvantaged communities as seriously as in affluent areas.

In the Central Coast district I (Robert Rivas) represent – which is more than 60% people of color – 160 miles of the Salinas River remain polluted. Overapplication of nitrate-heavy fertilizer and toxic pesticides have leached into the groundwater, contaminating the drinking water for a quarter of a million Californians.

In the Los Angeles metropolitan district I (Cristina Garcia) represent – which is more than 75% people of color – 38 miles of the San Gabriel River remain polluted. In addition, the nearby Los Angeles River is a toxic cocktail of copper, cadmium, zinc, lead, oil, dangerous bacteria and trash.

Dangerously polluted waterways are not unique to our districts. In Stockton, annual algae blooms transform the local rivers into a pea-soup green sludge that makes children who swim in it sick. In Oakland, authorities warn residents not to fish due to concerns about mercury biomagnification, even as many low-income residents struggle to put food on the table. Across the state, many other disadvantaged regions and communities of color suffer from similar challenges.

We are bringing forward three pieces of state legislation to address these environmental and racial disparities.

Our first bill would require representation of tribal groups or underserved communities on the State Water Board and the nine regional Water Boards. It is vital to ensure that those most affected by pollution have a voice in these clean water agencies’ decisions. The legislation would also require the Water Boards to conduct additional outreach to underserved communities to ensure that their concerns are addressed in the permitting process. It is time for pollution in disadvantaged communities to be taken as seriously as in affluent ones.

The second piece of legislation would modernize the state’s permitting system for the treatment of storm water, the water that runs off sidewalks and streets after a storm. A primary weakness of the Clean Water Act is its overly complicated permitting process. Our legislation would revamp the system to be more effective and efficient, saving time, money and resources in the installation of these water quality improvement projects. Cleaning up storm water, the primary source of water pollution in urban areas would significantly improve the lives of people in disadvantaged communities.

Finally, we are introducing legislation that would require fines paid by polluters to be sent directly back into the community that was harmed, instead of going to fund state government operations. This would ensure that affected communities have adequate resources to clean up their waterways.

Fifty years after the enactment of the Clean Water Act, your zip code should not determine whether or not you have access to clean water. California’s water quality program works – we’ve virtually eliminated dangerous water pollution in many parts of the state. But now it’s time to finish the job and ensure that all communities enjoy those same benefits. As we celebrate the anniversary of the Clean Water Act, it is time to guarantee that every Californian has equal access to clean water.

Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, represents the 30th District in the California Assembly. Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, represents the 58th District in the California Assembly.