Letter: Blending water would benefit YC

Oroville dam levels are currently at only 50 percent of normal. At what point will the City Council and the utilities director realize the importance of keeping and improving the existing Hillcrest Water System as a viable asset to the city's water supply?

When the city should be searching for methods to ensure a flexible and adequate water supply, they are urging HWS groundwater users to convert to surface water. The HWS System currently provides about 20 percent of the city's water supply. If that conversion takes place it will create an increased need for surface water.

Rather than spending $20 million on converting HWS groundwater users to surface water, it would seem prudent to develop a viable blending program that benefits the whole city.

As the water crisis continues, we eventually will be drinking blended surface and groundwater — possibly even blended with HWS well water.

Do city officials really think that they can continue to get more surface water at the same cost and still support their visionary development goals without seriously impacting the pocketbooks of all its citizens?

Yuba City residents can expect to pay more for water in the future — that is certain Shutting down the HWS wells will only cause those costs to be higher.

The city's intended demise of the HWS wells is not a Region 1, 2 and 3 problem — it is an entire city problem. Don't let our city officials shut down the HWS wells.

Don Kessel

Yuba City