California grants funds for water treatment plant

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has announced the allocation of more than $8m to provide safe drinking water for the Kettleman City Community Services District in California, US.

The drinking water supply to Kettleman City currently exceeds both the federal and state standards for presence of arsenic.

The CDPH has therefore been working with the Kings County and the Kettleman City Community Services District to find a suitable solution to meet the water needs of the city.

A surface water supply system from the California Aqueduct and required surface water treatment has been chosen as the preferred solution. Preliminary studies were conducted using funds from the CDPH Safe Drinking Water state revolving fund (SRF), augmented by the local funding.

The CDPH will now provide $700,000 for the pilot testing of various treatment methods to arrive at the most cost-effective alternative for the city.

An approval by the CDPH will be required besides demonstrating sufficient water rates for operations and maintenance of the treatment facility, and a sufficient reserve fund before the construction granted can be secured.

CDPH’s Safe Drinking Water SRF will bring $3m with Proposition 84 (the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006) providing $4.5m towards the construction of a water treatment plant. CDPH said the funds will be disbursed in stages.

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Image: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will provide $8m to construct a water treatment facility in Kettleman City, California.Photo: Sanfranman59.