191 Farm Labor Camps Cited for Unsafe or Untested Water

The operators of 191 migrant labor camps in California have been cited for providing contaminated drinking water to farm workers or violating federal law by not properly testing water quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday.

More than 8,500 migrant workers who live in the camps could be subject to a wide range of diseases from tainted water, including typhoid, cholera, infectious hepatitis and dysentery, the agency said.

“EPA’s discovery that a large number of migrant labor camps are providing essentially unhealthy water is appalling,” said Daniel W. McGovern, the Western regional administrator of the EPA. “ . . . The law requires water suppliers to provide water that meets drinking water standards.”

The great majority of labor camps--operated by farmers and labor contractors in 20 counties--were cited for failing to monitor their drinking water systems, said John Merkle, chief of the EPA region’s drinking water compliance section.

“Most of these systems are running blind by serving water they do not not know the quality of,” he said.

Fresno County led the way with 52 violations. There were 32 in San Joaquin County and 24 in Merced County, Merkle said. Nine labor camps were cited in Riverside County.

Residents of the labor camps, including children, pregnant women and the elderly, are particularly at risk because these water systems often rely on ground water in areas where pesticides and fertilizers are used in great quantities, he said.

Nitrate, found commonly in fertilizers and sewage, can cause “blue baby syndrome,” an anemic condition that can cause death in babies up to 6 months old.

The EPA, which carried out the enforcement action with the help of state and county health officials, also was concerned that migrant workers moving from one minimally protected water system to another could spread serious diseases among the camps.

Violators were ordered to bring their drinking water systems into compliance with federal standards or face penalties.