Groundwater program boosts water supply reliability

Updated June 05, 2018
Groundwater program boosts water supply reliability
Roseville gets most of its water from Folsom Lake, through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and partnerships with nearby water agencies. Most years, we rely solely on surface water for our customer’s needs. Over the years, we have invested in growing our groundwater system as an integral part of our water supply strategy to increase reliance for Roseville customers.

In the last drought we experienced fluctuations in water supply allocations. As a result, we’re working on a number of fronts to minimize our sole reliance on surface water from Folsom Lake. These include increased interties (infrastructure that gives us the ability to obtain water from partnering agencies) with other water agencies, identifying and partnering on regional surface water supply projects and increasing how we use recycled water.

A big component of our water planning is bolstering our groundwater program so that it’s a go-to resource regardless of weather conditions and available surface water supply.

Maintaining our groundwater infrastructure

Much like your own car, our groundwater system has to be properly maintained. We all take our car in for preventative care – so that unnecessary interruptions are either limited or don’t occur at all, especially when you need your car the most. Our groundwater system is no different.

“As a result of recent assessments of the system, we are implementing a more routine maintenance schedule and testing the system frequently to make assessments and monitor the system under real-world conditions,” said Sean Bigley, acting water utility manager. "This routine maintenance program will include testing and distributing groundwater from one of our six wells each week, indefinitely. The amount of water is minimal compared to the overall amount of water we distribute."

As we begin testing, the amount of water entering the system is minimal.  It's estimated at 19.6 drops in one gallon of water.

Groundwater use moving ahead

Groundwater resources can be used in times when surface water is not abundant, and is a practice that is widely used throughout the Sacramento region. Most of the Sacramento area uses groundwater resources. This blend of water sources is called conjunctive use. It is anticipated that use of groundwater will increase in Roseville, depending largely on hydrological, regulatory and overall water supply conditions.

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