Local elementary school to finally have drinking water on campus

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- After nearly two years with a contaminated well Orange Center Elementary School will soon be on the city of Fresno's water system.

Sprinklers sprayed the only water running at Orange Center Elementary Thursday. For almost two years, the school's fountains and other drinking sources have not been used because of a contaminated ground water well.

But soon that will change.

Fresno City Councilmembers approved a $1.1 million state grant that will allow the school district to connect to the city of Fresno's water system. To make this happen, a 14-inch pipeline will be installed and loop about a mile and a half around the school.

"It's something that's been needed for quite a while so that city of Fresno is happy to participate and provide this connection," said Michael Carbajal, City of Fresno Water Division.

Laura Llamas' son attends school at Orange Center Elementary. She is glad the district will soon have clean and healthy water to drink again.

"It is concerning because I had my son take a bottle of water from home every day."

School officials have been using a state grant to provide all of its classrooms with water dispensaries and bottled water for students and staff. It's an expense that ran them between five and six hundred dollars each month.

"Schools purposes are to educate children. They don't want to be managing water, and that's what they've been doing is managing a water system. So by connected to the city they no longer have that problem," said Sue Ruiz, Self-Help- Enterprises.

Construction of the pipeline should be done by early 2017.