News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA issues order to Indian Village Mobile Home Park in Thermal, Calif., to ensure drinking water is safe for residents

THERMAL, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the Indian Village Mobile Home Park public water system on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tribe’s Reservation in California to comply with federal drinking water requirements. The water system serves 35 residents and is privately owned. The violations involve failure to comply with various monitoring and reporting requirements for disinfection byproducts, arsenic, lead and copper, total coliform, nitrates, and disinfection residuals. In addition, the water system failed to notify its customers of some of these monitoring violations and does not have a certified water operator. 

“It is critical that public drinking water systems have trained operators, monitor for contaminants and provide their customers with information about drinking water safety,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “EPA works directly with public drinking water systems in Indian country to ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.” 

Under the terms of the agency’s administrative order, the owner of the water system is required to develop a compliance plan within 45 days and will provide EPA with quarterly reports to document its progress.

EPA will continue to oversee the system’s efforts to follow Safe Drinking Water Act requirements and may levy civil penalties if it fails to meet the compliance provisions in the administrative order.

The Torres Martinez Tribe has no direct control or ownership of the water system. EPA works closely with the Torres Martinez Tribe and has consulted their leadership about the violations.

For more information on EPA's drinking water program, please visit: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/sdwa

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