Waterwise: Reported wells failures decreases around county

• Reported well failures around county: 935.
• The Tulare County’s Environmental Health has approved 2,340 drilling permits.
• Regional park project meeting set for March 26.

The weekly Tulare County Office of Emergency Services update, which provides information about the drought and its effects locally, had good news this week.

For the weekly period ending Monday, county officials saw a decrease in the number of private wells failures. The 935 reported well failures is three less than the 938 reported the previous week. Yes, it’s a decrease of only three wells, but it’s a decline nonetheless.

Since keeping track of water well failures starting last year, the Waterwise column notes this is the first time there’s a decreased on reported failed wells.

The number that’s not decreasing at all is the amount of permits issued for drilling wells. With 56 permits issued last week, the Tulare County’s Environmental Health has approved 2,340 permits. For the week that ended on Feb. 12, the agency issued 56 permits.

The emergency services’ update also includes other figures:

• Qualified households for the bottled drinking water program: 522, including seven newly qualified.

• Health and human services clientele affected by the drought: 328, including four new ones. There are also 28 applications pending.

• Employees laid off or whose were hours reduced because of drought since March: 272, including three last week.

• Phone calls the United Way of Tulare County has received related to the drought: 539, including 47 last week.

• Drought-related food relief packages FoodLink has distributed by Feb. 15: 100,053, an increase of 2,534 from previous report.

Online: www.tularecounty.ca.gov.

Regional park project meeting set for March 26

The third Community Workshop for the East Side Regional Park project is set for 6:30 p.m. on March 26 at the San Joaquin Room located inside the Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave.

A design charrette format will be used in this workshop, allowing participants to further design the scope of the project and to suggest design concepts or alternatives for the park, organizers said. Site uses and amenities will be located on the site to help determine their location within the park. The workshop is open to the public to allow full participation in the park design process.

The East Side Regional Park and Groundwater Recharge Project integrates groundwater recharge basins with regional park facilities at the 248-acre complex. It will be located north of Highway 198 between the large, dual-tower pole electrical lines and Road 152.

The groundwater recharge basins are integral part of Visalia’s strategy for sustaining water resources and implementing the recycled water exchange agreement with Tulare Irrigation District.

Already, two community workshop were completed earlier this month. A fourth workshop is scheduled for June 18.

Online: www.visalia.city.

Waterwise is a news and notes column Reporter Luis Hernandez compiles. Send Waterwise ideas and suggestion to the reporter on twitter @lfhernanvtd.