Janine Marnien
LA CRESCENTA -- The California Department of Water Resources has
recommended that a request for a $250,000 grant by the Crescenta Valley
Water District be approved in June, officials said.
If awarded, the district would use the money to conduct studies
testing the potential production rates and groundwater quality in
different areas, district General Manager Mike Sovich said.
"Our main focus with the grant would be to find appropriate sites for
new production wells," he said. "We need the water supply."
The grant is awarded to city or county water districts that propose
projects focusing on improving groundwater monitoring or conducting
general groundwater studies.
"I can tell you that when we reviewed the applications, the Crescenta
Valley Water District was better than many others," Ralph Svetich, a
senior engineer with the Department of Water Resources reviewing the
applications, said.
For their project, the district proposed drilling small diameter
monitoring wells in different locations on district property to conduct
the studies. Full-size wells will be built on sites that yield the most
water with the best quality.
District officials estimate that the proposed studies will exceed the
maximum $250,000 grant by as much as $100,000 of unbudgeted costs. The
additional expenses will be taken out of next year's budget, Sovich said.
The grant money is available as a result of the Local Groundwater
Management Assistance Act, passed in 2000.
