KETTLEMAN CITY – As residents of this hardscrabble Kings County town just off Interstate 5 continue their long wait for clean tap water, they hope to keep benefiting from a state program providing bottled water in the interim.
It’s been free of charge, thanks to a $10,000-a-month grant from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Residents say the bottled water program is a lifesaver as they wait for a new plant to be constructed.
The facility will take water out of the California Aqueduct, make sure it’s free of contaminants and pipe it into homes for drinking.
The new water supply is expected to be a huge improvement over the stuff coming out of the tap now.
The plant is expected to come on-line in late 2018 or early 2019, according to Joe McGahan, an engineer working on the project.
Residents reached by phone for comment Monday described the bottled water project as a life-saver.
She said without the state help, people who couldn’t afford the bottled water on their own "would be forced to drink water from the sink."
Kostyrko said the program will continue to receive funding up until the point when the new plant becomes operational.
The town, which doesn’t have enough income to pay for the $11 million facility, is relying on state and federal grants to get the work done.