Agency tours small drinking water systems at mobile home communities in Coachella Valley
LOS ANGELES - On Tuesday, December 16th, U.S. E.P.A. Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld will be joined by State, local and community representatives at the San Jose Community and Bea Main Learning Center in Coachella Valley to celebrate the 40
th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Over the past 4 decades, the SDWA has enabled E.P.A. and partners to supply safe drinking water to in excess of 93 percent of the population served by community water systems. Following the event, participants will view the water filtration system at the San Jose Community Center which provides safe drinking water to the center, its training facility and 14 residences. Additionally, attendees can view point-of-use filtration systems at the adjacent Gamez Mobile Home Park. These point-of-use systems are small, individual reverse osmosis filtration units placed under the kitchen sink; each has its own distribution spigot that provides treated drinking water for the home.
Drinking water in the lower Coachella Valley comes from groundwater wells impacted with high levels of naturally-occurring arsenic and chromium. Treatment technologies can be costly, especially for small systems which face unique challenges including backing shortfalls and aging infrastructure. Since 1997, E.P.A. has provided in excess of $1.5 billion to California for their Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) plan which helps fund infrastructure plans throughout the state. Riverside Co. has received $61 million from the DWSRF for drinking water infrastructure plans including construction of new water treatment plants, drinking water wells, storage tanks and consolidation plans connecting small drinking water systems with larger water districts.
WHO: Jared Blumenfeld, E.P.A. Regional Administrator
Kyle Ochenduszko, Senior Engineer, California State Water Resources Control Board
Mark L. Johnson, Director of Engineering, Coachella Valley Water District
Sergio Carranza, Executive Director, Pueblo Unido CDC
WHAT: 40
th Anniversary to the Safe Drinking Water Act: Successes, Highlights and Challenges Facing Small Drinking Water Systems
Tour Gamez Mobile Home Park
WHEN: Tuesday, December 16
th
11:30 a.m.
**Media should project to arrive no later than 11:15 a.m.
WHERE: San Jose Community and Bea Main Learning Center
Event will be held outside of Water Filtration Systems
69-455 Pierce St., Thermal, California
VISUALS: Media can view the installed water filtration systems at the community center and will also view point-of use filtration systems installed in the Gamez Mobile Park homes.
RSVP REQUIRED: *** Credentialed press who would like to attend this event, or for more information please e-mail
Nahal Mogharabi,
[email protected].
