BWD Receives State Grant for Water Tanks
Last updated 6/2/2022 at 9:29am
The BWD Board will be considering a Final Agreement with the California WaterBoards for grant funding to replace 4 aging water reservoirs and one emergency diesel motor that does not meet current air quality standards. The combined cost estimate for the Projects is $2.1 M and BWD is eligible for 100% funding.
The projects scheduled for replacement include the Twin Tanks, which are located to the southwest of the State Park Offices at the west end of Palm Canyon Drive. When constructed in the early 70’s, the two tanks were not located on the property owned by BWD for that purpose. BWD Staff believes the location was moved approximately 150’ to the north to provide for a few extra feet of elevation which helps to produce water pressure in the system. The land discrepancy was discovered during the application process for the Grant. BWD and Parks staff in Borrego and Sacramento are working on the various legal documents needed to allow BWD to replace the tanks and operate long term. A Lease Agreement was approved by BWD in April that will allow replacement of the tanks in 2022 which will then be followed in 2025 or sooner with the formal land swap. At that time, BWD will apply for reimbursement from WaterBoards for the cost of construction. The two existing tanks will be replaced with one tank of similar capacity. During construction, one existing reservoir tank will remain in service and demolished upon completion of the new.
The remaining reservoir projects, Indian Head and Rams Hill #2, do not require a complex legal agreement for real property rights. BWD already has the rights to construct a new reservoir where the existing Indian Head tank sits on the N/W boundary of the development. Similarly, BWD has the rights to construct a new tank where Rams Hill #2 is located approximately ½ mile up the hill to the south of the development.
One additional component to the Project is replacement of the diesel motor at the Wilcox well. Although only used when the power is out for extended periods, the Air Quality regulations still require it to meet certain emission requirements. Completion of all the projects is expected in late 2024.
