San Juan Water District to study groundwater

June 13, 2007 — Officials from the San Juan Water District, which serves Granite Bay, recently approved a proposal to conduct a groundwater study within its retail service area. The study will help the district determine the extent of underground water available that could be used for a dry year water supply and emergencies. The researchers will investigate areas that may be suitable for municipal water supply wells and determine the potential pumping rates for water in those areas. They also will be investigating the location and extent of soil types that may allow the district to store water underground in wet years when surface water is plentiful. Such stored water could later be used to supplement supplies during dry years. Geologist Ryan Alward of the consulting firm GEI Consultants, Bookman-Edmonston Division, will lead the study, which is expected to take approximately six months to a year. Alward, a graduate student in geology at CSU Chico, is donating his time to work on the project as part of his master's thesis project. Richard Shatz, a senior hydrogeologist for the consulting firm, will provide guidance and project oversight. "We saw this as an excellent opportunity to explore options for providing our retail customers with a higher level of reliability in their water supply at a low cost," said District Manager Shauna Lorance. "SJWD and the consultant's support of this graduate student has created a unique opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the underground conditions in our retail service area and the potential for development of groundwater supplies at a greatly reduced cost." The researchers will use several methods to measure groundwater resources, including research, compilation and analysis of historical geotechnical data, exploratory drilling and core extraction, and construction of monitoring and sampling wells. If the researchers find favorable conditions for new water supplies, they also will make preliminary design recommendations for new wells.