Mobile Home Village residents says faucets running dry this summer

POST FALLS — Some residents at Chateau Mobile Home Village said their units have been, for weeks, without sufficient water for washing, showering and drinking.

“We don’t have water,” said a resident this week who asked that her name not be published for fear she would be evicted. “It just sucks.”

The woman said she has lived at the mobile home park off Highway 41 for several years and each summer there has been insufficient water for residential use. She said to her knowledge, it happens because more of the water delivered to the park by the Ross Point Water District is diverted for irrigation purposes at the site.

“I have a lot of patience, but this year is bad,” she said. “I don’t get it.”

So desperate is she, that she leaves a jug in the sink to catch drips and flushing the toilet is something only done a few times a day or at time when water pressure slightly increases.

“If you use all your water, it’s just like being in an outhouse,” she said.

Jim Williamson, drinking water compliance officer with the Department of Environmental Quality, visited the park of about 100 units on Wednesday in response to a complaint.

Williamson said a resident told him it took about five minutes to fill a gallon jug, which isn’t enough to meet normal, daily needs.

He said the water pressure he measured at the complainant’s site was about eight pounds per square inch. DEQ’s standard for public water supplies is 20 pounds per square inch.

However, Williamson added that he doesn’t know why the mobile units don’t have sufficient water, as he hasn’t reviewed the water system and is not familiar with the pipes or water usage. DEQ doesn’t have an official role for regulatory purposes at Chateau.

Anna Moody, DEQ drinking water compliance supervisor, wrote in an email to The Press that “Currently the mobile home park is not a regulated water system and receives water from Ross Point with at least 65 PSI at their connection.”

She wrote that it sounds like the Chateau water system may have low pressure at times of high use.

She said their staff is assisting with an evaluation and should know more by next week.

“Unfortunately, this is not part of our jurisdiction; however, since they are unregulated and we are just providing a courtesy evaluation,” Moody wrote.

Chris Triebwasser, an employee with the Ross Point Water District, said they are aware of the water woes at Chateau Mobile Home Park.

He said the district provides 67 PSI at the park’s water meter and it is doing all that is required. He said they have checked for leaks and have not found any.

Residents, a mix of seniors, veterans, families and singles, many living in older mobile homes that are difficult to move, pay the Rental Connection each month.

A woman who answered the phone at the Rental Connection on Wednesday said no one was there who could answer any questions about the park’s water pressure. A message was left seeking comment but no one called back. The woman also declined to name the owner of the mobile home park.

Another resident of several years who asked that his name not be used said in the winter, water is plentiful at Chateau. Come summer, it’s not.

He said he can’t take showers at home as water comes out in “a little trickle. Just a dribble.”

“I don’t know. It’s unreal. It’s the weirdest darn thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “We have no water. I mean, no water.”

Another Chateau resident said since earlier this summer, late June, about a gallon comes out of the faucet every five minutes.

“You can’t do anything with that,” he said. “It’s terrible.”

He said as long as he has lived at Chateau, it’s been understood that when it turns warmer in the summer, there would be at least a few times each day there wouldn’t be water for homes as it was diverted for the lawns, instead.

But this summer, he said during the day he has had almost no water coming from sink faucets, the shower head or the toilet. He keeps buckets and glasses under faucets to catch drops, buys drinking water at the store and showers elsewhere.

He said he called agencies and organizations seeking help and DEQ agreed to pay the park a visit. On Wednesday, he said water pressure “magically” returned for a few hours, but later disappeared.

So, he waits and hopes conditions improve.

“This morning, it’s back to nothing,” he said.