Rio Dell unveils new Water System rebuild

On the afternoon of Wednesday July 17, the City of Rio Dell held a groundbreaking ceremony for their water system that was in much need of an update. Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire was there to provide some details on the update. 

“This is an exciting day for the entire community. Number one, the state is coming in to cover 100% of the cost of the entire replacement of the aging water system. The water system is 75 years old. It’s  taken a beating over the years due to the seismic activity that we see here in Humboldt County. And the December earthquake did it in and added advanced catastrophic challenges to this water system”, he said. 

The old water tanks were built in the early 70’s out of Redwood. 

“It was near collapse. And this is a huge shot in the arm to be able to rebuild the entire water system. We couldn’t be more thrilled. It’s going to save them. It’s going to save Rio Dell ratepayers millions of dollars in the coming years. About $35 per month. And here’s how this came about. I was up here literally, within 24 hours. I’m talking within hours of the earthquake actually happening on the phone with state OES (emergency services), with county OES, with Rio Dell Mayor Garnes and the city. And I made a promise”, he said.

With the money invested, nearly 3 miles of steel and cement pipes will be updated and safe drinking water will be available to everyone. 

Updates will also include a 500,000 gallon seismically safe water storage unit, 30 new fire hydrants and 279 updated service lines to local residences. 

“Fast forward a year and a half, a promise made is a promise kept. We’re here today, the state Office of Emergency Services, the state legislature, the governor, as well as the state water Board secured the funds $12.9 million to be able to do this massive rebuild, in every corner of Rio Del. And we couldn’t be more thrilled for the partnership”, McGuire said.

Story by Tucker Caraway