- In this video, California City water staff work to fix a water-pipe break.
- The metal water pipes in Cal City are outdated and there are frequent bursts and water interruptions.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The water lines are a major problem here in California City, and there’s no easy solution.
Mayor Kelly Kulikoff and Acting City Manager Joe Barragan say the water issue in Cal City is one of the worst in the state,
The pair say the metal pipes underground are more than 50 years old.
There are frequent bursts and, in some areas, boil water notices.
Barragan says there are more than 200 miles needing repair, impacting hundreds of families.
There are weekly - - sometimes daily - - notices of water pipe bursts and interruptions.
Another one occurred on the corner of Heather Avenue and 83rd Street on Monday morning, the third time an outage occurred in this area over the last month.
Residents in that area did not want to go on camera but expressed frustration about the water issue.
“I think it’s a big problem for us as residents because when water pipes break no matter if it’s a pipe outside our house or down the road, we’re all impacted because we’re paying for that water loss as a whole," says Shawn Bradley, a California City resident.
Another area of concern is safety. The fire department has reported pipes bursting from the pressure needed to put out a fire.
While some weeks there are no issues, Amo Meza, Cal City's Chief Water Operator says other weeks the water is always flowing.
“We’ve had up to, on my watch, 14 blowouts in one day, where you’re chasing your tail one after another, one after another, so this keeps Cal City water staff pretty busy,” says Meza.
A recent installation of new water lines cost the city about $3 million for 3 miles of work, Barragan says.
The money needed for more new pipes isn’t there.
Some public water staff is on 24-hour standby for repairs, a situation Barragan described as a Band-Aid.
“You just got to take it one step at a time. If you look at the big picture, it’s a bit overwhelming, so you just kinda have to focus on certain areas, the worst areas, and just kind of go through a process of trying to eliminate the easy things you can eliminate to try to reduce the water breaks,” Barragan says.
City officials are seeking grants and gaining perspective from other cities to try to find solutions.
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