Pierce Street Community Infrastructure
An initiative driven by community leaders that reside along Pierce Street in the vicinity of Oasis, California, The Pierce Street Community Infrastructure Project is addressing serious safety concerns regarding unacceptably high levels of arsenic and fluoride in their local small water systems. Additionally, inadequate soil percolation and high water table marginally allow any installation of on-site septic systems.
Community leaders have approached Pueblo Unido CDC and requested support to initiate an agreement whereby domestic water and sanitary sewerage can be extended to the neighborhood via Coachella Valley Water District pipeline service. Pierce Street Community Infrastructure is a community of farm workers and low to very low-income households living in mobile home parks. This area includes large clusters of dwellings in need of rehabilitation that include Duroville, several mobile home parks within the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation, and 36 small Polanco Parks on fee land. With this combination of agricultural housing communities it is estimated that the project will serve a population of 10,000, constituting one the largest projects in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
Pueblo Unido CDC is working in collaboration with other non-profit organizations, state and federal entities, the local water district, the Riverside County and elected officials towards the implementation of this important project.
Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration
Thousands of Eastern Coachella Valley residents live in areas that potentially contain hazardous levels of arsenic in their groundwater
Arsenic has been linked to bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. Arsenic is also harmful to the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems. State and federal environmental regulations stipulate safe drinkable water with arsenic level of 10 parts per billion. Currently, arsenic lab results in the area have found 21 parts per billion.
Pueblo Unido CDC is pioneering the introduction of Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System for rural affordable housing in the eastern Coachella Valley where access to municipal water in unavailable. At San Antonio del Desierto, ongoing testing for the last year has successfully demonstrated its effectiveness in removing arsenic from the groundwater.
High arsenic levels can also come from certain fertilizers and animal feeding operations. Industry practices such as copper smelting, mining and coal burning also contribute to arsenic in our environment.
Higher levels of arsenic tend to be found more in ground water sources than in surface water sources (i.e., lakes and rivers) of drinking water. The demand on ground water from municipal systems and private drinking water wells may cause water levels to drop and release arsenic from rock formations.
For more information about Arsenic:
Environmental Protection Agency- Arsenic
Environmental Technology Verification Report- Reverse Osmosis
Sewer Lift Station:
The new sewer lift station at San Antonio del Desierto has a capacity to handle 4600 gallons per day. The wastewater is then pumped into four lagoons for facultative treatment process which is the most cost effective approach for smaller communities.
