.County orders volunteer to stop giving H2O to homeless people

Part one of a two-part series on the Binford Road RV encampment

A street chaplain and a Marin County official have been engaged in a six-week standoff over supplying potable water to homeless people on Binford Road in Novato.

Each side seems well-entrenched in its position. Gary Naja-Riese, director of Marin County Homelessness & Coordinated Care, has directed volunteer Tara Evans to “pause” her water delivery to the homeless encampment, citing health and safety concerns. Evans, however, has no intention of stopping, saying she will not leave people struggling to stay hydrated.

Naja-Riese and Evans agree it’s darn hot on Binford Road, where 78 people live on the shoulders of the two-lane county street, most in recreational vehicles and a few in tents. Sandwiched between a marsh on the east and Marin’s main freeway on the west, Binford Road has nary a tree in sight, offering no shade to the RV dwellers. The vehicle interiors heat up quickly in the direct sun, and many residents compare the effect to a sauna.

The water crisis came to Evans’ attention when she visited Binford Road several weeks ago and learned that people have no consistent drinking water source. Unlike an RV park, which typically provides direct hook-ups for water, electricity and sewer, Binford Road has no such amenities.

A nonprofit organization under contract with Marin County to provide outreach services has distributed at least one case of plastic water bottles to each of the 47 RV sites, but so far only when the temperatures soar, like during the first week of July as the thermometer topped 100 degrees.

This method doesn’t satisfy Evans.

“They delivered small plastic water bottles from the back of their cars and trucks,” Evans said. “If no one was home, they left it outside. People told me it tasted bad, and they did not drink it because they’re worried about getting sick from the plastic being out in the hot sun all day. It’s super unacceptable. I find that to be a human rights violation.”

A plethora of research backs up Evans on potential problems with single use plastic water bottles. A 2023 study published in the journal ScienceDirect found that when the bottles are exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods, chemicals in the plastic, made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, break down and leach into the water. This year, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study that determined water in single-use plastic bottles becomes tainted with nanoplastic particles that can invade human cells and tissues in major organs.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Evans set up a GoFundMe account in early June to raise money for water delivery, sans the single use plastic. The efforts quickly raised over $1,400.

Although she prefers not to identify where she gets the water, about twice a month, Evans and a crew of volunteers load a 325-gallon potable water tank onto a pickup truck, make a stop for water and head out to Binford Road to distribute it.

The county is not on board with Evans’ service, as evidenced by emails and text messages.

On June 7, prior to making the first delivery, Evans emailed Naja-Riese, informing him of the fundraiser and her plan to provide water to Binford Road residents on a regular basis. She also requested that the county establish a safe drinking water program.

Naja-Riese responded five days later, after he learned that Evans had indeed brought water to Binford Road and filled up RV tanks and containers. While praising her volunteerism, he assured her that the county was providing bottled water, as well as assistance if people needed water containers filled. Additionally, he said the county is currently vetting service providers and water options.

Then, he asked Evans to stop her deliveries because of potential health and safety risks from the unidentified water source, as well as the unknown condition of the tank and containers used to hold the water.

The volunteer and the county official have exchanged additional emails and text messages. Meanwhile, Evans has continued bringing hundreds of gallons of drinking water to the residents.

In his last communication to Evans, on July 18, Naja-Riese used stronger language. Rather than a request, he stated that he “needs” her to stop the deliveries, which “may be in violation of some key County policies regarding the provision of drinking water.”

It has not slowed down Evans, who made a fourth delivery earlier this week. I met her on Binford Road at dusk on Sunday to observe the process. Evans purposely chooses the early evening because many residents work during the day.

A volunteer slowly drives the truck while Evans walks on the road, calling out to people in their RVs. They stop at each site, asking residents if they would like water. Almost everyone accepts. When a person wants water supplied to their RV tank system, Evans inquires whether they are signed up for the county’s mobile pump-out service, which removes sewage and gray water  from the holding tanks.

For those who answer yes—22 RVs participate in the pump out program—Evans inserts a hose from her tank straight into the RV’s tank, chatting with residents as the water flows.

People bring out a myriad of containers to be filled, anything from one-gallon water jugs to five-gallon buckets to 20-gallon cisterns with spigots. Not every container appears pristine. Evans cautions folks that the water she’s bringing is clean and drinkable; however, she can’t attest to the quality after it leaves her tank.

Miguel, a Binford Road resident, nods. He says that he plans on using his pail of water only for his toilet. It’s all kosher, because he participates in the county’s pump out service. The young man declines additional water for drinking because he buys it from the grocery store.

Several residents tell me that with the high temperatures, they quickly used up the case of water delivered by the county vendor earlier in the month. Like Miguel, some purchase their water. Others go to a county-owned boat dock about eight miles away to fill up their water containers at no charge.

About 90 minutes after Evans arrives, she runs out of water. She worries about the people she wasn’t able to serve. A National Weather Service heat advisory remains in effect through the middle of the week.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that men drink about 15.5 cups—a little less than a gallon—of fluids daily. Women should take in about 11.5 cups, according to the organization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends increasing that amount during hot weather to prevent dehydration and heat illness.

When water isn’t flowing from a tap on demand and one doesn’t have transportation, it can be difficult to get about a gallon of drinking water per day.

According to Binford Road residents, the county has failed to consistently provide water. It appears that officials were unprepared for the impact these extreme temperatures  would have on residents of the RV encampment, who have complained that they need water and have no way to escape the heat.

For Evans, that’s the rub. She’s willing to step back if the county steps up. Naja-Riese says that they have and will continue doing so.

Last year, Marin secured $1.6 million over three years from California’s Encampment Resolution Funding, with the ultimate objective to house all the residents. The county has been using the initial award for enhanced outreach, housing-based case management and other direct support. And it’s working.

“Twenty-seven [former] Binford residents have received housing, with 22 more on a housing pathway at the moment,” Naja-Riese said.

Another big boon came through from the state in April, when it announced that Binford Road would soon receive another grant for more than $3.72 million. In the second grant application, the county specifically requested funds for drinking water.

“Our current goal is that we want to regularly provide three five-gallon jugs of water per RV site at Binford,” Naja-Riese said. “The average is there’s about two to three people per site. Some sites have more people, so we would deliver more water in that situation.”

However, he could not provide a time frame for the planned water distribution. Until Naja-Riese’s goal is realized, Evans will drive up and down Binford, providing water to hot and thirsty residents.

“Every human being has the right to safe, clean and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking and sanitary purposes,” Evans said. “Period. End of story.”

Part two of this series will run next week.