Contact: Holly Alpert
Program Manager
Inyo-Mono Integrated Regional Water Management Program
tel. 760-709-2212
email. holly@inyo-monowater.org
Round Valley School Water Project Underway
June 24, 2013 – The Inyo-Mono Integrated Regional Water Management Program (IRWMP) and the Round Valley Joint Elementary School District (RVJESD) are pleased to announce the start of the Round Valley Joint Elementary School Water Supply Reliability Enhancement Project. The project, which includes drilling a new well and providing access to a nearby ditch for fire protection, began June 10 and is expected to be complete before the start of school later this summer.
Round Valley Elementary School is presently served by only one well. That well is shallow, and the steel casing on the well is deteriorating. In addition, the current system does not have adequate capacity for structural fire protection. Output from the well is currently 28 gallons per minute, which is less than three percent of the minimum residential fire standard of 1000 gallons per minute for two hours. Over the last several years, the water system has failed three times, forcing the school to bring in portable bathrooms and bottled water, and raising the possibility of shutting down the school.
The project will provide a reliable water supply for the Round Valley School, incorporating simplicity and redundancy within the design. A new well will be drilled, providing a second water source. The existing well will be lined with new casing. In addition, the project will provide water for structural fire protection by providing access to an irrigation ditch on the neighboring property.
Funding for the project is being provided by RVJESD and a Proposition 84 grant administered through the California Department of Water Resources. Proposition 84 was approved by voters in 2006 to support water supply, water quality, and natural resource protection efforts. DWR funding was provided through the Inyo-Mono IRWMP, which has been working to identify water-related needs and secure funding for water projects in the region since 2008. In 2011, the Inyo-Mono IRWMP was awarded a grant of $1,075,000 to fund seven on-the-ground projects that support improvements in water supply and water quality in Inyo and Mono Counties. For more information about the projects, visit https://inyo-monowater.org/inyo-mono-irwm-plan-2/implementation/.