Drinking
water previously contained unsafe levels of arsenic.
Media Contact: Michael Brogan, 415-295-9314, brogan.michael@epa.gov
SAN FRANCISCO (April 4, 2024) – The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has overseen the restoration of
safe drinking water to over 900 residents living in 20 mobile home parks
located within the boundaries of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians
Reservation in the Eastern Coachella Valley, located in Southern California.
“EPA is committed to protecting the health of our communities, including
those that have historically faced unequal environmental burdens, by ensuring
their drinking water is safe and reliable,” said EPA Pacific Southwest
Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “We will continue to
fully utilize our authority to make sure that safe drinking water standards
are met.”
EPA Actions
In 2020, EPA began investigating numerous mobile home parks located within
the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Reservation for compliance with
the arsenic limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This work is part of
EPA’s overall increased focus on the area, including enforcement efforts
related to drinking water at To date, EPA has identified another 20 mobile
home parks within the Reservation, housing approximately 920 people, with
drinking water that comes from groundwater and therefore may contain arsenic
levels above the federal limit. Of the 20 mobile home parks, only 13 parks’
drinking water systems were previously regulated by the County of Riverside. Seven of the 20 mobile home parks’ drinking water systems, serving 287
people, had never been subject to regulatory oversight, had no regulated
arsenic treatment systems in place, and had no information about the current
condition of the drinking water being served.
As a result of the information gathered, EPA rapidly developed a
comprehensive approach to address the needs of the communities living in
these 20 mobile home parks, including EPA funded sampling efforts,
enforcement actions, compliance assistance, and a partnership with a local
non-profit organization, Pueblo Unido Community Development Corporation (PUCDC). From December 2021 through September 2022, EPA issued Safe Drinking
Water Act Emergency Administrative Orders to nine mobile home parks where the
arsenic levels in the drinking water exceeded the federal limit of 10 parts
per billion.
Each Emergency Administrative Order required the provision of
safe alternative water, installation of regulated arsenic treatment systems,
and compliance with all other Safe Drinking Water Act standards and
regulations. While pursuing these enforcement actions, EPA, in coordination
with PUCDC, provided compliance assistance to the other mobile home parks to
ensure their drinking water would comply with federal law, including the
arsenic limits and all necessary monitoring and reporting requirements.
As a result of these combined efforts, EPA has overseen the installation
of point-of-use \arsenic treatment devices in over 220 homes. EPA recently
released six mobile home parks from their Emergency Administrative Orders –
Arellano, Castro Ranch, Desert Rose, Gamez, Gonzalez, and Sandoval – because
of their return to compliance with the arsenic limit and other Order requirements as listed above. EPA continues to monitor the progress of the
mobile home parks still under Emergency Administrative Orders and to provide
compliance assistance to all 20 mobile home parks.
Background on Eastern Coachella Valley
The Eastern Coachella Valley region, including towns such as Mecca, North
Shore, Oasis, and Thermal, is home to a predominantly Latino and Indigenous
population facing significant socioeconomic challenges. The region
experiences some of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in the
nation, and those who are employed often work outdoors in the agricultural
sector and are therefore exposed to climate-related threats such as extreme heatwaves.
Environmental conditions exacerbate many of the socioeconomic issues in
the Eastern Coachella Valley. In addition to air and water quality issues,
many areas have naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater. Exposure to
arsenic may result in both acute and chronic health effects. Arsenic is a
known carcinogen and drinking high levels of water containing arsenic over
many years can increase the chance of lung, bladder, and skin cancers, as
well as heart disease, diabetes, and neurological damage.
and many other partners, protects public health by ensuring safe
drinking water and protecting ground water.
|
