Recycled water will soon flow farther east in Clovis

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- There are hints of purple up and down the streets of Clovis-- along sections of Temperance Avenue, Highway 168, and now, throughout Harlan Ranch.

Joshua Peterson has lived here for eight years, during the drought, he said, times were tough-- especially on the landscape.

"All of this was gonna die cause you couldn't water it."

Trees and plants did die, adding up to thousands of dollars in damage. Instead of just replacing them the Homeowners Association decided put up $800,000 to connect to the city's recycled water system.

"Even with this initial investment, we're saving $40,000 a year in water costs alone and now we have an unlimited water supply," said Peterson.

"It will allow them to stay green during the next drought," Assistant Public Utilities Director Lisa Koehn said.

Koehn said schools could be next to connect, now that Clovis Community Hospital, Caltrans, and Harlan Ranch are all onboard. The city will be saving millions upon millions of gallons of drinking water every year, which is vital in the summer and during a drought.

"If you can reduce that landscape use, then you're shaving off those peak demands in the summer-- it's sort of like PG&E with their solar."

Recycled water is for irrigation only; the pipes do not connect to homes mainly because of safety concerns, but also because it wouldn't be cost effective.