Thermal residents say kids got sick after EPA reports high arsenic levels in water

The Environmental Protection Agency says the drinking water at a Thermal mobile home park contains dangerously high levels of arsenic over the last three months.

Martena Zacarias invited reporter Jake Ingrassia into her home at Oasis Mobile Home Park to show just how bad her water is.

“It comes out with sand and dirt and my sister told me the water started to smell,” Zacarias said, speaking in Spanish. “I don’t know what to do and it’s the only water I’m using.”

Wednesday, the EPA issued an emergency order saying the water for nearly 2,000 residents was contaminated with dangerously high levels of arsenic, a cancer-causing compound occurring naturally in groundwater.

The contamination is causing concern of children in the community getting sick with symptoms that match those of arsenic poisoning.

“Sometimes their stomach hurts and sometimes they have to vomit,” Zacarias said. “A lot of times they feel sick and I’ll take them to the doctor, but they never know what’s really wrong.”

A notice was distributed from management to residents that they’re giving out bottled water in the office, but there was no mention of the arsenic levels in the drinking water. Some residents learned about it from News Channel 3’s crew.

Zacarias’s brother Salvador lives next door. He picked up gallons of water from the management office Thursday.

“I expect they fix it and they give us more water,” he said. “We use it for a lot of stuff like drinking water, making food…”

The management of Oasis Mobile Home Park says they’re well stocked with a supply of bottled water for residents and are working with the EPA to reduce the arsenic levels. They said a newer sample shows an appropriate level of arsenic, but the EPA said they haven’t recieved it yet.

If management doesn’t comply with EPA requirements, they could face fines of nearly $24,000 per day.

Local leaders are responding to the issue. See their statements below:

Statement from Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia’s on the emergency order:

“We are making inquiries to see if and how the state can be of assistance. These prevalent system contamination issues and public health concerns are exactly why I committed to make safe drinking water our top legislative priority of the year. Our success in establishing the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund will provide the funding necessary for water infrastructure projects like those needed in the Eastern Coachella Valley, and we specifically included provisions to ensure that these resources would be available to our Native American tribes. System consolidation with our adjacent water agency may be a viable solution in this instance,” stated Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, Chair of the California State Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee and coauthor of SB 200 the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund (2019).

Statement from Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz:

“I am alarmed to learn that the EPA is issuing an emergency order to reduce arsenic levels in the drinking water for residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park,” said Dr. Ruiz. “My top priority is the health and well-being of residents in my district, and I will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with local, state, tribal, and federal officials to ensure Oasis Park residents have access to safe drinking water.”

You can reach Jake on Twitter, Facebook or email him at jake.ingrassia@kesq.com.