Crews were working along Berkeley and Taylor Roads this week to install a pipeline that will bring Turlock residents a new source of drinking water, hopefully by next year.

Through the Regional Surface Water Supply Project, water from the Tuolumne River will be treated in a new state-of-the-art water treatment plant to provide Ceres and Turlock with clean, safe and reliable drinking water. The Town of Turlock has worked for 30 years to secure this alternative drinking water source, as its current drinking water supply is 100% groundwater – and declining.

Studies for the project began in 2016, with design taking place from 2018 to 2021. Last year, construction of the project began. The transmission pipeline to Turlock, which will carry 30 million gallons of water per day from Fox Grove to a storage reservoir on Quincy Road, is nearing completion.

In December 2017, the City of Turlock adopted a new rate structure beginning in 2018 and increasing each year for five years to help service existing groundwater wells and fund the new $220 million surface water treatment project. of dollars. Turlock and Ceres borrowed $184.9 million for the plant after receiving $35 million in grants, but borrowing from the state’s Revolving Fund at a 1.2% interest rate allowed plan to save $100 million that it would have incurred through municipal bond financing.

The new water rate schedule is expected to see a single family bill of $36 per month for water in 2017 drop to $42 per month from March 2018, $49 per month in 2019, $57 in 2020, $67 in 2021 and $79 in 2022. The new rate includes a service charge of $25 per month for the typical single-family home, which covers the cost of securing the water source and delivering it to the customer.

To keep up to date with the construction of the treatment plant, visit www.stanrwa.com.