WRD's Safe Drinking Water Program is Successfully Restoring Water Source in Maywood

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Water Replenishment District of Southern California

Jul 20, 2010, 07:11 ET

LAKEWOOD, Calif., July 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last week the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) Board of Directors unanimously approved additional funding to Maywood's Mutual Water Company No. 2 for manganese removal at its 52nd street well.

In June 2009, the Board entered into an agreement with Maywood Mutual No. 2 to finance a wellhead treatment facility for the removal of manganese at its 52nd street well. Due to cost increases associated with the project, WRD is providing additional financing to assure the completion of this important groundwater treatment project. The treatment facility is currently in its final construction stage and is expected to be online by the end of summer. Once completed, the project will provide approximately 1,770 acre-feet, or 577 million gallons, of treated water per year to customers of Maywood's Mutual Water Company No. 2, enough water for nearly 3,500 families each year.

WRD is providing this assistance through its Safe Drinking Water Program. The District established this program to provide grants and loans for the installation of treatment systems for owners of wells affected by contamination, allowing those wells to meeting safe drinking water standards. WRD also provides in-house expertise to pumpers to assist in developing the best solution to a well affected by contamination.

Since the program's inception in 1991, WRD has successfully treated and fully restored 19 affected water wells throughout the District's service area thereby preserving and protecting the region's local water supply.

Since 2006, WRD has worked closely with the Maywood Mutual Water Company No. 2 with extensive well testing through the WRD's Well Profiling Program. The program helps groundwater pumpers by investigating their wells to determine well remediation options. The two remaining water companies in the city, Maywood Mutual Water Company No. 1 and No. 3, are also scheduled to participate in the Well Profiling Program.

"Under the Safe Drinking Water Program, WRD has succeeded in restoring nearly 11 billion gallons per year of water thereby increasing our region's drinking water supply," said WRD Board President Sergio Calderon. "WRD expertise in groundwater stewardship and innovative engineering is reducing our dependence on scarce imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River by preserving and raising the local water supply," concluded Calderon.

"This is fantastic news for the people of Maywood, and it's a positive step forward on our efforts to ensure the folks in Maywood have safe, quality drinking water," said Speaker John A. Perez. "Maywood deserves to have clear water, and the partnership between WRD and the Maywood Mutual No. 2 is going to help make that happen. I want to thank everyone whose hard work made this announcement possible."

About WRD

Created by voters in 1959, WRD is a regional groundwater management agency that protects and preserves the quantity and quality of groundwater supplies for nearly four million residents in southern Los Angeles County or 10% of the State's population. For more information please visit www.wrd.org.

SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California