City to restore old well

The city of Glendale will renovate an existing water well on Foothill Boulevard near New York Avenue to increase its draw on Verdugo Basin water and save some of the cost of constructing a new well.

The city originally contracted with Geomatrix Consultants to find a new site for a local water well and to drill and develop it, at a cost of about $1 million. However, concerns were raised about possible MTBE contamination in any new well site.

The city then identified the location for well 5036, on a fenced vacant lot on Foothill. The abandoned well dates back to 1924 and currently has no well-head facilities or electricity.

Water from the well was tested and found to be within acceptable standards except for a concentration of nitrate, which will require treatment or blending of the water from the site.

Piping will be added to extend 2,800 feet along Foothill and 400 feet up New York Avenue to the New York Reservoir. The work will be completed by December, at a total cost of $350,350.

The city of Glendale shares with the Crescenta Valley Water District the right to pump water from the Verdugo Basin, under terms of a 1979 court order. The city operates five wells, which have not been performing to capacity because of age of the equipment and the lowering water table.

— By Charles Cooper