Costly fix expected for water woes in Walton area

Walton-area residents face an expensive fix for water problems.

Just how costly will be one of the subjects of a 7 p.m. community meeting Tuesday at Yuba City Moose Lodge, 205 S. Walton Ave.

“We’ll be discussing the problem, solution and costs - that’s the main purpose of the meeting,” said Yuba City Utilities Director Bill Lewis.

The city just completed an engineering report for the approximately 3,000-home Walton area that looks at options for removing arsenic and nitrates from the drinking water.

Solutions would require a hookup to city surface water or treatment to improve the groundwater.

Lewis would not give figures on the costs of fixing the water problems ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’d just as soon wait for the meeting,” he said.

But he did say that they will exceed Tierra Buena’s costs to convert to city surface water.

Tierra Buena residents had to pay about $3,500 per home for a tie-in to the city water system after groundwater nitrate made it impossible to meet drinking water standards.

Similar problems appeared recently in some groundwater wells that serve Walton-area residents.

One well that boosts the summer water supply for 800 Walton homes had to be taken out of service in June because nitrate levels were too high. Nitrates can serious illness and even death in infants and ill people.

Wells that serve 3,000 people failed new federal arsenic rules at one point last year though subsequent tests determined the water was OK.

Appeal-Democrat reporter John Dickey can be reached at 749-4711. You may e-mail him at jdickey@appealdemocrat.com.