Dear Supporters,
We are excited to announce a new pilot program and opportunity for coalition members! The coalition is seeking 5–10 households across Washoe Valley, Pleasant Valley, Galena, and the Steamboat area to participate in a six-month test program.
Recent testing shows that 22% of Washoe County private wells exceed the EPA’s healthy limits by up to 80 times, highlighting the urgent need for effective water filtration.
Important Health Note: Standard water filters — including Brita, Pure, or Zero filters — do not remove neurotoxins such as arsenic, lead, mercury, or methylmercury. Many of us have been consuming these harmful substances unknowingly. If you are not testing your water, you are putting your health at risk.
Long-Term Risks of Heavy Metals: Mercury, arsenic, and lead do not leave your body easily. Instead, they accumulate over time in tissues and organs, compounding with each exposure. These metals can also be passed from parent to child, both in utero and through breastfeeding, potentially affecting a child’s neurological development, immune system, and overall health.
Health Risks Linked to Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, and Methylmercury:
Neurological harm: Impaired brain function, learning disabilities, memory loss, tremors, mood disorders, and developmental delays.
Reproductive harm: Reduced fertility or infertility for both men and women, hormonal disruption, pregnancy complications.
Cancer risk: Arsenic is a confirmed human carcinogen (skin, bladder, lung), and chronic exposure to heavy metals may contribute to reproductive and other cancers.
Systemic harm: Cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, immune system disruption, and other organ effects.
Urgent Warning: Attempts to remediate or disturb the Sierra Reflections site may release even higher levels of toxic metals into our water, making the contamination worse. This is why proactive protection of our private wells is critical.
Pilot Program Benefits: Participants will receive:
A completely free whole-house water filtration system
Top-of-the-line, gold-standard system provided by our corporate sponsor
Removes 99% of arsenic, lead, mercury, and methylmercury
Professional installation included
Eligibility Requirements:
Only available for households on private wells
Must have recent well water testing — ideally within the last 6 months, or at minimum, within one month of participation
Water tests must include lead, arsenic, mercury, and methylmercury
Must be located within a 10-mile radius of the Steamboat Washoe Valley Superfund site
In exchange, participants will help us test and evaluate the system to ensure it works effectively for local water conditions.
Call to Action:
Join the coalition now to help protect our water and health
Be part of the ongoing legal battle we are preparing against the government and the site owners to prevent further contamination
Your membership gives you a voice, direct access, and the ability to participate in our strategy
How You Can Participate:
We need 5–10 households spread across Washoe Valley, Pleasant Valley, Galena, and Steamboat Valley
You must be a coalition member to participate.
This pilot program is part of a larger effort. We are also working on an EPA grant to provide complete in-home water filtration systems to every household within ten miles of Superfund sites in Nevada. Being part of the pilot program will give you early access and help demonstrate the need for this larger grant program.
If you are interested in volunteering for the pilot program or joining the coalition to help fight for our water, please contact us immediately so we can coordinate installation, testing, and legal strategy. You can send your water test results to; ssr4gc@gmail.com
Together, we can protect our families, our water, and our valley.
With gratitude,
Jette Porrazzo
Executive Director, SSR4GC