Dr. Ruiz Pushes for Clean Drinking Water for Oasis Residents  

Palm Desert, CA – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase its water supply for residents of Oasis Mobile Home Park. Currently, park management provides residents with one gallon of clean water per person per day. While this amount of water is often the standard amount that government agencies believe a person needs per day, this calculation does not consider soaring temperatures, which can approach 110 degrees in Thermal, CA. Today, Dr. Ruiz wrote to EPA Administrator Regan to require the owners of Oasis Mobile Home Park to provide an adequate supply of water to its residents.

"Failure to provide enough water to residents under Emergency Orders can have dire consequences," wrote Dr. Ruiz. "Residents may also be tempted to not follow the EPA's guidance and use the water, risking increased chances of lung, bladder, and skin cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and neurological damage. Children who use the water also risk developmental issues. Alternatively, insufficient water could lead to people not drinking enough and suffering from dehydration. Neither of these outcomes are acceptable."

Starting in 2019, Oasis Mobile Home Park has been under a series of EPA Emergency Orders for levels of arsenic in the drinking water that exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level. The most recent Emergency Order, issued on September 15, 2021, requires the owners of Oasis to provide each resident with a gallon of drinking water per day. You can read Dr. Ruiz's full letter to the EPA here.

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