Turlock removes well from water supply

To protect public health, the city has taken out of service a municipal water well at North Berkeley Avenue and Alex Way because it does not meet drinking water standards. The well must be repeatedly flushed to eliminate coliform bacteria and to reduce the level of nitrates in the water, the city said Friday in a news release.

The city reported it is working with the state Division of Drinking Water to ensure the well meets all drinking water standards before it is put back in service.

“The flushing will be on Mondays and Wednesdays for a 24-hour period prior to the sampling on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Garner Reynolds, the city’s regulatory affairs manager, told The Modesto Bee. “It is discharged to a manhole to our storm drain system with a curtain to prevent splashing out of the manhole.”

The water flushed from the well will go to the pond in Donnelly Park, for landscape irrigation and to improve the quality of the pond water. Any overflow water from Donnelly pond will be used at Summerfaire Park for landscape irrigation.

The water can also be made available to the Turlock Irrigation District for agricultural irrigation. “Therefore, water flushed from this well is not being wasted,” the city news release said, “and it does not increase overall city water consumption as it is being used to replace other water supplies. Further, because this water is not discharged to the drinking water system, it does not impact the city’s ability to comply with state water use reduction mandates. The state’s mandatory water restrictions apply only to drinking water.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2015 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Turlock removes well from water supply."