Desert Local News - Index

Desert Local News - Desert Local News 'weekly' on demand print March 6th edition - Index

8 DHS Living
Mineral
Water
on ‘Tap’ at
Shilla’s
By Dean Gray
the system. I haven’t seen him in
Desert Hot Springs was over a year. Preserving the sys-
founded by pioneers drawn to tem is not like a backyard pool.
the unique characteristics of our It’s a specialty. There is no drain
hot mineral waters. For nearly a off and you gotta have that for it
century, visitors from all over the to work right.”
world visit DHS for “the water
The Hotel Shilla recently in-
cure” and relaxation in unique stalled a solar pool heating sys-
water. Our city has many great tem. Morr Power, the company
hotels and wonderful spas serv- that installed the solar system aling
our guests. One renegade spa leges it was not paid to the tune
hotel has decided to attack our of around $18,000.00 and a lien
standing.
has been filed. “It was Mr. T (Tae
More troubles rise to the sur- Young Jang, owner) that had the
face about the Hotel Shilla’s wa- solar system installed.”
ter used in their spas and pools.
In addition to the solar system,
Instead of providing the adver- standard natural gas pool heaters
tised “hot mineral water” the are also used to heat common tap
hotel is allegedly using tap water water. The advertisement of Ho-
instead.
tel Shilla’s “hot mineral waters”
Glenn O’Hagan, former Gen- appears to be a fabrication. The
eral Manager claims that in the public expects the hot waters to
last four months of operation he be natural mineral waters as ad-
knew of no hot water pumping
system. “The heating costs were
vertised.
astronomical and always a prob-
Desert Hot Springs natural
lem,” said O’Hagan. Since day hot mineral water is pumped out
I was trying to find out why we of the ground anywhere from 100
were heating water that’s sup- to 160 degrees or more dependposed
to be hot.”
ing on depth and location. Some
Johnny Alvarado, former head are lucky enough to have really
of maintenance for last 10 years hot water that requires it to be
confirms “the hotel has been us- cooled down before entering the
ing tap water. The previous own- pool or spa.
ers had a well guy maintaining
Natural hot mineral water is
distinctive. It’s pumped from
up to 200 feet or more below
ground. Water is heated by the
earth’s magma near the San Andres
Fault running down the middle
of town.
The town was built on our hot
mineral waters that have amazing
curative effects on arthritis, rheumatism,
joint inflammation, and
polio, to name but a few of the
infirmities known to have benefited
from our waters. Natural hot
mineral water’s our claim to fame
and our recognizable brand.
Well maintenance is no small
expense says Hotelier Association
President Judy Bowman.
“We must spend several thousand
dollars every other year on
the pump and well maintenance.
There’s no way around that. It’s
just the cost of doing business
properly”
“The Hoteliers Association
has high standards. Our members
voluntarily state that they are using
real hot mineral water,” says
Bowman who acknowledges the
Hotel Shilla is not a member in
good standing due to nonpayment
of the Transient Occupancy
Tax to the City.
Solar system
Shilla natural gas heaters
Shilla’s ‘Well system’