Clean Drinking Water Coming to East Valley Cities

CVWD Celebrates $100 million in Grants to Help Bring Clean, Drinking Water to Underserved Eastern Valley Communities

MECCA — After years of work, Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) recognized $100 million in grant funding from county, state, and federal sources at a community celebration April 5 in Mecca. The grants will bring clean, affordable water and reliable sewer services to underserved Eastern Coachella Valley communities.

“Coachella Valley Water District is making a positive impact in the lives of residents and contributing to the overall well-being of the region,” Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D., said in a statement “This investment enhances infrastructure and fosters greater social cohesion and economic development in the Coachella Valley. Such initiatives serve as shining examples of collaborative efforts involving grants from federal, state, and county partners to demonstrate the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation in addressing critical infrastructure challenges.”

The event marked nearly 10 years of efforts by CVWD’s Disadvantaged Communities Infrastructure Task Force to secure funding for projects to consolidate and connect thousands of Eastern Coachella Valley residents to CVWD’s domestic water and sewer systems.

“This is a major milestone for solving one of our biggest challenges, which is access to clean drinking water and sewer services,” said Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “The lack of safe drinking water in many communities throughout the Eastern Coachella Valley has been a historical issue for a very long time. Families have struggled with this every single day. The funding that has been secured will go a long way to ensuring access to this basic human right and protecting the health and well-being of our residents. I have been proud to partner with the Coachella Valley Water District and of the significant funding we have been able to contribute, as well as helping put this roadmap for clean water together in our office with CVWD Director Cástulo Estrada, because this infrastructure is a priority. I commend the Coachella Valley Water District, its leadership, board members, and staff.”

These projects will change the region for generations to come, Cástulo Estrada, CVWD board vice president and a founding member of the Disadvantaged Communities Infrastructure Task Force, said.

“By allowing access to safe, affordable drinking water and sewer services, the region will also see secondary benefits, such as creating opportunities for housing developments and increased economic activity,” Estrada said. “I’m extremely grateful to the District Board and staff for creating and working on these projects that will impact so many residents,” E. This would not have been possible without collaboration with and funding from our partners at all levels of government.”

In addition to Estrada, more speakers addressed the collaboration and progress made by local, state, and federal partners to ensure disadvantaged communities have access to safe drinking water and dependable sewer service:

• John Powell, Jr., President, CVWD Board
• Cástulo Estrada, Vice President, CVWD Board
• E. Joaquin Esquivel, Chair, State Water Resources Control Board
• Eduardo Garcia, Assemblymember (CA-36)
• Steven Hernandez, Chief of Staff for V. Manuel Perez, Riverside County Supervisor, 4th District
• Raul Ruiz, M.D., Congressman (CA-25)
• Tomás Torres, Water Division Director, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of Martha Guzman, Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator
• Luis Andrade, Water and Environmental Program Director, US Department of Agriculture – Rural Development on behalf of Maria Gallegos Herrera, California State Director
• Community members from Huerta Mobile Home Park and Toledo Mobile Home Park

CVWD has relied on a number of these financial partnerships to complete a series of projects in the Eastern Coachella Valley. Two projects connected just under 200 homes and Westside Elementary School in Thermal to CVWD’s domestic water system. Another consolidated and connected unincorporated areas of Riverside County and improved reliability for 7,600 residents. Two other projects connected a housing area and two mobile home parks to CVWD’s wastewater collection and treatment system.

Additional projects target other areas of the Eastern Coachella Valley. The Avenue 66 Transmission Main/St. Anthony Mobile Home Park Consolidation will construct the critical backbone to connect three systems immediately and make possible 35 future mobile home park consolidations. The Valley View Domestic Water Mobile Home Park Consolidation will connect 13 mobile home parks.

Grant funding sources include:

• American Rescue Plan Act
• Congressionally Directed Spending through Community Project Funding Programs
• State Budget Appropriation
• State Water Resources Control Board
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The April 5 event also included a performance by Ballet Folklorico Sangre Obrera de Desert Mirage High School.

Coachella Valley Water District is a public agency governed by a five-member board of directors. The District provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management and water conservation. It serves approximately 113,000 residential and business customers across 1,000 square miles, located primarily in Riverside County and in portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.