The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Oasis Mobile Home Park over safe drinking water violations.
"After years of dangerous neglect and non-compliance with and violations of EPA safety orders, the Department of Justice is finally engaged with holding the Oasis Mobile Home owners accountable," Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., said in an Aug. 16 news release from his office. "This is welcomed news for our local collaborative efforts to ensure that residents are safe, have access to clean drinking water and are relocated to affordable and preferential housing options. Enough is enough."
According to the EPA, the aim is secure a court order compelling Oasis Mobile Home Park to rectify the situations concerning their drinking and wastewater systems in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as pay a fine, an Aug. 14 EPA news release reported.
The Oasis Mobile Home Park is built to accommodate a maximum of 1,500 individuals. The park's water supply comes from groundwater containing naturally present arsenic, the EPA release reported. Arsenic is a recognized cancer-causing substance, and prolonged consumption of elevated amounts can raise the risk of conditions such as lung, bladder and skin cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes and harm to the nervous system.
EPA's complaint alleges the estate administrator of Scott Lawson and a company named Lopez to Lawson Inc. did not adequately maintain and operate Oasis' main drinking water well, treatment and distribution systems and wastewater system – thereby failing to take the necessary actions to ensure the safety of those who use the drinking water, the release reported.
In August 2019, the EPA issued an urgent directive to Lawson, who owned and operated the park, due to the presence of excessively high levels of arsenic in the drinking water. This breach was in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and its associated rules, the EPA release noted.
In September 2020, the EPA issued a second directive as Oasis had switched to a backup well that still produced water with unacceptably high arsenic content. This 2020 directive required the recipients to provide alternative drinking water options, repair the treatment system, lower arsenic levels in the water distribution system and monitor water quality for contaminants, the EPA release reported.
Following the passing of Lawson in May 2021, the EPA issued another emergency directive against the individuals listed in the complaint. This new directive largely echoed the requirements of the 2020 order, according to the EPA release.
Subsequently, in April 2023, EPA conducted water testing and found persistent arsenic levels, confirming the issues with arsenic and the drinking water system had not been resolved. Consequently, EPA issued an updated order mandating the defendants to address problems with the storage tanks for the drinking water, the release reported.
"This complaint is an outcome of many years of failure by the operators of the Oasis Mobile Home Park to follow EPA's orders and provide safe drinking water and sanitation to the families living in their park," EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in the EPA release. "We now seek action by a federal court to enforce our orders, to provide justice to the residents that have lived for so long without safe drinking water."