MECCA – Effective immediately, the Galilee Center in Mecca is available for residents of Oasis Mobile Home Park to have an additional source of clean water, to supplement the bottled water being provided by the park owner.

Residents of this park can get their water jugs filled up in the kitchen at the Galilee Center, at no cost to them. Kitchen staff will assist in filling the containers.

The Galilee Center is located in Mecca, 66-101 Hammond Road., and is open every day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center has staff on site 24/7.

Residents are advised to call in advance, especially after hours so staff can open the gate. The Galilee Center’s phone number is 760-396-9100.

The Galilee Center’s water comes from Coachella Valley Water District and meets all drinking water quality standards.

On August 27, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed the Oasis Mobile Home Park under a compliance order to address extremely high arsenic levels in the water. The order has not yet been lifted. The park is located on tribal land along Avenue 70, west of Pierce Street.

The U.S. EPA is requiring the park owner to provide bottled water to approximately 1,900 residents. The EPA is receiving complaints that the bottled water being provided is not sufficient.

Given that it may require a few months for short-term solutions to emerge at the Oasis Mobile Home Park, Riverside County staff is assisting the EPA in identifying community locations where residents can obtain clean water to supplement the bottled water being provided at the mobile home park.

“The residents of Oasis Mobile Home Park need help and are really struggling,” Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a prepared statement. “While the EPA works with the park owner to get a water treatment system in place, I thank the Galilee Center for stepping up to help the residents with temporary emergency access to clean water.”

“EPA appreciates the support of Riverside County and the Galilee Center in helping Oasis Mobile Home Park residents get access to safe drinking water,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker said in a prepared statement. “We continue to monitor the water treatment system’s compliance with safety standards, and look forward to hosting information events for the community in December.”

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Image Sources

  • bottled water: PIxaby