The deal approved by the City Council is expected to save 65 to 81 million gallons a year and save nearly $80,000 annually in water costs.
Recycled waste water soon could be used to water the grounds and fill the lakes at the Montebello (Calif.) Golf Course, now that the City Council has approved a deal with the Central Basin Municipal Water District, the Whittier (Calif.) Daily News reported.
The agreement to purchase recycled water from Central Basin was approved January 28th by a 3-2 vote, the Daily News reported.
“This will reduce the cost and amount of potable water,” said Councilwoman Vivian Romero. “It’s an environmental benefit.”
Mayor Jack Hadjinian and Councilman Art Barajas joined Romero in supporting the deal, which calls for the city to borrow up to $615,000 to finance construction of needed water lines and to repay the loan with a surcharge on the water the city purchases, the Daily News reported.
The deal is expected to save the city 65 to 81 million gallons a year— enough to serve 400 to 500 homes a year—and save nearly $80,000 annually in water costs.
The golf course is expected to use between 200 and 250 acre feet of water a year, the Daily News reported.
An acre-foot, or 326,000 gallons, can be visualized as a football field submerged in one foot of water. It’s enough water to serve two families in a year.
The water will come from Central Basin’s recycled water system, which has a 15-mile line from Pico Rivera, Calif., through Montebello, to Vernon, Calif.
The Central Basin district already provides recycled water to seven other golf courses, the Daily News reported.
Two City Council members, Christina Cortez and Bill Molinari, didn’t like the idea of borrowing the money and paying 2 percent interest, the Daily News reported.
“Why should we borrow money and pay interest when in a few months we can get money with no strings attached?” Molinari asked, referring to the state water bond that voters approved in November.
Mike Whipple, a city consultant, said the city already has received a $259,000 grant from the Metropolitan Water District that has a matching requirement. “Any grants under Proposition 1 also would [require] matching money,” Whipple told the Daily News.
In addition, it’s not likely that money from the state bond will be available until next year, it was noted.
Hadjinian said there was no reason to wait, the Daily News reported.
“All the money out there is matching grant money,” he said. “People making statements that there’s plenty of money out there is not true. And we’re being responsible for the environment.”
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