Municipal Savings Forecast in $1.5-Million Well Project
So far, Bell Gardens’ $1.5-million bid for self-determination looks like a concrete stump in the middle of a freshly plowed field. But this stump is hollow and reaches 1,050 feet down to some of the area’s purest ground water.
On Wednesday the project was dubbed the Bell Gardens Water Well by the city’s elected officials, who forecast municipal savings of $50,000 a year once the well starts pumping, which could be as soon as this fall.
Councilman George Deitch said there also was a “good possibility” that the well would translate into lower rates for the city’s water customers. He said the project, paid for through the city’s water fund, is expected to save the city $200 per acre-foot of water. One acre-foot is approximately 326,000 gallons.
The well has been a dream in Bell Gardens since 1990, when the city bought water rights and underground pipes for nearly $5 million.
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