By Gary Meyer and Patric Hedlund

A sharp decline in the static water levels of two Frazier Park Public Utility District wells was described to the FPPUD board and the public at a special meeting on Thursday, Sept. 26.

During this summer, the Mountain Community saw the worst impact  from drought in over 10 years.

FPPUD Water Operator Jonnie Allison told his board that Well No. 3 was shut down last week after its levels fell from 48 feet in June to 115 feet in September—a 67 foot drop. Allison said he had to shut down that well to avoid damaging the expensive pump.

The level for Well No. 4 fell from 44 feet to 106 feet during the same period—a 62 foot drop.

With these discoveries, FPPUD has had to tell neighboring Lake of the Woods Mutual Water Company that Frazier Park can no longer supply water to fill LOW’s storage tanks.

Frazier Park has now called for moderate conservation measures from its own customers. The utility district still has ample water supplies, such as its 500-gallons-per-minute well No. 5 and productive springs.

“We are not in a crisis now, but we don’t want to slip into a crisis,” Alice Garcia said.

Lake of the Woods’ water company is drilling a test well in a third location to find a productive water source for its 400 customers. In the meantime, Lebec County Water District’s board voted unanimously to sell water to maintain Lake of the Woods’ tanks.

Urgent Regional Meeting

An urgent meeting of all water well owners and water agencies in the Mountain Communities, public, private  or residential, is being called by the Frazier Park Public Utility District for Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Frazier Park Public Utilities District (FPPUD) office at 4020 Park Drive.

The purpose for the regional well-owners’ meeting is to explain a plan for water well owners, mutual water companies and water districts to join together to obtain a grant from the State of California.

The emergency grant would finance engineering studies and legal assistance to answer questions that may arise in developing a possible unified regional action plan for future Mountain Community water  problems.

The public was told in June that Lake of the Woods’ 300-gallons-per-minute well at Cuddy Hall had declined to 10 gallons per minute. Extreme conservation measures, including a ban on all outdoor watering, has been required of LOW water customers.

Consultant David Warner, with Self-Help Enterprises, told Lake of the Woods, Frazier Park and Lebec water companies last month of a $250,000 “pre-planning” grant to cover the expenses for exploring possible regional solutions to seasonal drought.

“It would set up a regional water committee to begin the conversation about regional solutions,” Warner said in explaining the opportunity.