Councilmember Neftali Galarza discusses importance of new clean water system Coachella mobile home park
The city of Coachella held a groundbreaking at the Castro Mobile Home Park on Thursday for a project that will connect dozens of residents at a mobile home park to the city's water system.
"For me, being there today and celebrating this for the Castro Mobile Home Park and its residents was very important. And I hope one day we're able to do such for the residents of unincorporated Riverside County too," said Coachella Councilmember Neftali Galarza.
As we've reported, clean drinking water remains a major issue in the east valley. More than 115 communities in the east valley are affected by the issue.
The hope is the new system at the Castro Mobile Home Park will provide a reliable source of water straight from the city. The project will cost a little over a million dollars and will take about 60 working days to complete.
It'll bring clean water to 45 families. The California Department of Water Resources is providing some of the funding.
"We grew up in these mobile home parks. And so now in capacities that we're able to look for funding to make the next generation healthier and having easier access to simple things like water that we believe is a human right and we firmly stand on that belief," Galarza said.
The Castro Mobile Home Park was built in the late 1950s and residents who lived there were connected to the site's private well. Over the years, the small water system began to fail and compromised drinking water for the tenants.
The park owners began seeking help from the county and the city was alerted of the situation. As a short-term solution the city’s water department connected the park's water system to a nearby fire hydrant.
