Water Justice Clinic Receives $2.58 Million in Funding

UC Davis Law’s Aoki Water Justice Clinic received a $2.58 million grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board that will fund the clinic’s operation into early 2026.

The grant comes via the SAFER (Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience) program. The SAFER program was established from the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund through Senate Bill 200 in 2019.

Directed by Professor Robert Mullaney, the Water Justice Clinic combines transactional law, policy advocacy, and strategic research to ensure low-income California communities receive clean, safe and affordable drinking water. It is the first law school clinic of its kind in the country.

Students in the clinic deliver direct legal assistance; educate decision-makers and the public on the relationship between racial inequality, poverty, and lack of access to water; and identify strategies for eliminating the root causes of water inequality.  Students partner with clients to navigate funding opportunities, form new management entities, merge water systems, draft agreements, bring systems into compliance, and strengthen governance. The clinic also offers community trainings and develops templates and guides for community advocates.