Water basin improvements helping recharge groundwater in Lindsay
City leaders say the well inside a shed in the city hasn't been operating since 2007 due to contamination.
TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Water infrastructure improvements in Lindsay are helping replenish the groundwater aquifer with nearly 49 million gallons of water per year.
Wednesday morning, the city celebrated the completion of improvements made to the Lindsay Recharge Basin.
The upgrades were made possible thanks to a lot of planning and $500,000 in grants.
"We started tackling this issue about two years ago where we really identified what projects needed investments," said Lindsay Mayor Hipolito Cerros.
"It really took a lot of partnerships, as you can see, with the groundwater sustainability agency, the city, the state got to participate and provide funding," added Paul Gosselin with the Department of Water Resources.
The water in this basin is from a pipeline connected to the Friant-Kern Canal.
Officials say this water is meant for three things: gathering excess stormwater, recharging groundwater, and improving water quality.
They add that these are key factors that will have a positive impact on local residents and growers.
John Arnold, a citrus grower and president of the Lindmore Irrigation District, says after years of drought, replenishing groundwater is vital.
"We have had so many years of drought, and water has become so increasingly expensive and hard to get. So, for us to be able to get some in abundance this year and not rely on our wells so much has just been a god sent," said Arnold.
As of now, about 460 acre-feet of water have been placed in this basin.
That is 1.2 billion gallons of water.
"It is a big deal because just to put it into perspective, for the city of Lindsay during the summer months, the consumption is about 250 acre-feet of water, so this is almost 2 months of water supply to the city of Lindsay," said Neyba Amezcua, Lindsay Services and Planning Director.
City leaders say the well inside a shed in the city hasn't been operating since 2007 due to contamination.
Since the new infrastructure is expected to help with water quality, the goal is to get this well back up and running.
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