The Palmdale Water District (PWD) is drilling its first groundwater well in 31 years to ensure that it continues to supply enough water to meet customer demands, especially at this time of extreme drought.
“Well 36” is located north of 15th Street East at Rancho Vista Boulevard, and it is scheduled to be in operation by early 2023. It is projected to produce between 1,000-1,300 acre-feet of water annually, or enough water for about 2,000 families in Palmdale, according to PWD. An acre-foot of water is equal to 326,000 gallons, and a family of four uses an average of 190,000 gallons of water each year.
The $6.7 million total cost for the new well breaks down to $2.07 million for drilling and $4.6 million for equipment.
“The construction of Well 36 is happening at a very opportune time,” said PWD Board President Gloria Dizmang. “With the drought, we are not getting enough surface water from the State Water Project, so groundwater is so important.”
“This is an important milestone for us because our last well, Well 35, was drilled in 1991,” said General Manager Dennis D. LaMoreaux. “Many of our operating wells are old, including one constructed in 1956, and some will soon be non-operable. This new well will give the District redundancy in our total groundwater pumping capacity.”
PWD currently has 22 active wells. In 2021, those wells pumped 9,844 acre-feet of water that was disinfected with chlorine and distributed to many residents and businesses. PWD’s groundwater does not require extensive treatment like surface water. Its cost is mainly for the electricity to run the motors that drive the well pumps.
PWD Engineering Manager Scott Rogers said seven existing wells will soon be no longer viable and will be taken out of production. He said losing those wells will reduce PWD’s groundwater supply by about 1,800 acre-feet per year. If Well 36 operates at 80 percent of the year at 12 hours a day, it will produce up to 1,300 acre-feet.
For more information about PWD, visit www.palmdalewater.org.
