TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A $3.4 million state grant will be used to connect the residents of West Goshen to a permanent, safe, and sustainable water source.
On November 21, the California Department of Water Resources awarded Tulare County a $3.4 million Small Community Drought Relief Program grant to connect residences in West Goshen to a permanent water source.
In the unincorporated community of West Goshen, around 50 households rely on private domestic wells. State officials say seven of those households currently have dry wells and rely on hauled water and delivered bottled water. Those in the community with functioning wells face a dual crisis of water contamination and dropping groundwater levels.
The project will extend water mains from Cal Water Visalia to residences in West Goshen. The project includes water main installation, laterals and lateral service connections from meters to homes. Well destruction, valves, and new hydrants are also included in the project design. Households will then become customers of Cal Water Visalia.
“For more than a decade the community of West Goshen has faced drinking water insecurity. In 2014, the West Goshen Mutual Water Company received drought funding from the State to connect its 80 connections to the California Water Service. Since that time, an additional 50 homes have struggled to identify a viable solution to replace their failing and contaminated private wells.”
-Denise England, County of Tulare Resource Management Agency, Grants and Resources Manager
The Community Water Center will continue to provide residents of West Goshen with technical assistance, including community outreach and engagement and the completion of any final engineering design. The project received funding through the State Water Resources Control Board for engineering and design work.
Construction for this project will go out to bid in mid-2023 and is estimated to be completed by the end of 2024.