BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I’m off 178 just West of Fay Ranch Road at the construction site of a new water well that is planned to provide an extra 450 acre-feet per year of water to this community.
The new well is implemented by Long Canyon Water Company and is funded by Proposition 1 funds through the Integrated Regional Water Management program.
The well is part of a plan to improve drinking water in Weldon and consolidate five small water companies that operate in Weldon into the Weldon Regional Water District.
These companies include Rainbird Valley, Tradewinds, Long Canyon, Bella Vista, and Lake Isabella KOA.
However, according to the California State Water Resources Control Board, Tradewinds has decided not to connect to the regional project. The board said that they will be able to connect in the future if they choose to.
There are wells in Weldon that have histories of high uranium and nitrate.
“Bringing folks together creates sustainability because there is a strength in numbers argument as you look long term.”
That’s Chad Fischer, Senior Sanitary Engineer in the Drinking Water Division of the State Water Board.
Fischer says that the water district is currently being formed.
New infrastructure is a part of plans to form the Weldon Regional Water District, including two new wells and two 750,000 gallon-capacity dollars reservoirs.
“There’s infrastructure projects that are ongoing now that will bring a new water source and connect some of these existing systems,” Fischer said.
This well, the first of the two that are planned, is expected to be completed by December 2024.
Fischer says there are benefits to this regional system.
“The larger system will have more source capacity and so you lessen the chance of water outage.”
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