CVWD receives $1.5M to improve clean water infrastructure in the East Valley
The lack of consistent access to clean water is an issue that many people in the east valley deal with daily, but on Thursday, the concerns are getting the attention of a federal official.
Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small toured several areas impacted by this crisis.
On Thursday, Ruiz and Torres announced a $1.5 million federal grant for Coachella Valley Water District to make much-needed updates to water infrastructure in the Eastern Coachella Valley. The grant will go towards replacing the main water pipeline and three booster stations.
This investment will help the district provide adequate water service to customers by increasing the amount of water pumped through the pipeline distribution system.
In May, Rep. Ruiz brought EPA officials to Oasis Mobile Home Park to discuss residents' ongoing battle to get safe drinking water.
In March, Congressman Ruiz helped secure nearly $3 million in federal funding to help with the construction of a new water transmission line to help underserved communities that currently rely on unreliable private water systems.
Watch News Channel 3 at 5:00 for an update on future plans to help solve this health issue.
The News Channel 3 I-Team took an in-depth look at the water issues in the east valley earlier this year.
The EPA found the water in Saint Anthony Mobile Home Park's shallow well has twice the concentration of arsenic considered safe. But that's just one of more than 115 communities in the eastern Coachella Valley affected by the issue.
Since November, the EPA found water containing arsenic levels above federal legal limits in at least seven mobile home parks.
