Linking variation in water democracy to system performance on the human right to water

While scholars regularly associate fragmentation with drinking water disparities, here we consider the potential role of another consequence: variable levels of water democracy. We characterize voter enfranchisement across 2,405 California water systems and evaluate their performance with respect to three tenants of the Human Right to Water: access to safe, affordable, and accessible drinking water. Most systems limit enfranchisement beyond U.S. government election standards. Systems with enfranchisement limited to property owners are more likely to be at risk for unaffordability. Systems with no residential enfranchisement, located in the poorest communities with higher proportions of African Americans, are far more likely to rely on a single water source. The results highlight associations between water democracy and affordable, accessible drinking water with uneven impacts across the population. Understanding the role of governance in shaping inequities is essential for designing effective interventions to advance environmental justice.

尽管学界常将水资源碎片化与饮用水供给不公相挂钩，但本文转而探讨另一衍生后果的潜在作用：即不同层级的水民主（water democracy）。本研究刻画了加州2405个供水系统的选民投票权格局，并依据《饮用水人权（Human Right to Water）》的三项核心准则——即获取安全、负担得起且可及的饮用水——评估各系统的运行表现。多数供水系统的投票权限制范围远超美国政府选举标准。仅向业主赋予投票权的系统，其供水服务出现负担不起问题的风险更高。未赋予居民投票权的系统，多坐落于非裔人口占比更高的最贫困社区，且更倾向于依赖单一水源。研究结果揭示了水民主与可负担、可及的饮用水供给之间的关联，且该关联在不同人群中存在不均衡的影响。明晰治理在加剧不公平现象中的作用，对于设计有效干预举措以推进环境正义而言至关重要。