Tulare County board approves applications for congressional funding including $1.2 million request for Woodville well

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors on March 25 authorized staff to apply for congressionally directed spending through congressional offices and to prepare required letters of support, including a $1,200,000 request to address nitrate issues at the Woodville well.

The vote followed public comment from Diana Oseguera Martinez, who told the board, “we have not had, drinkable water for 7 years in our community.” She said Culligan delivers up to 30 gallons to the community every two weeks and that the water situation has forced her school district to hire an additional staff member to manage water deliveries, which has affected operations and budgets. “Delivery of water is 3 times. Moore is taking the MOT staff away from the normal assigned duties, and it's having an impact on operations and budgets,” she said. Martinez said a recently built nitrate filter costing “a million dollars, probably more than a million dollars” is nonfunctional because “something's missing from it.”

County staff presented the application request during the meeting. Mr. Sotelo, Resource Management Agency staff, described the item as an authorization “to apply for congressionally directed spending ... and approve letters of support as a requirement to those applications” and said the Woodville well request seeks $1,200,000 to address nitrate issues. The board approved the motion, moved by Supervisor McCarty and seconded by Supervisor Valero; the motion passed unanimously with Supervisor Townsend absent.

During discussion, Supervisor McCarty and others described prior federal and county funding efforts for Woodville. McCarty said the county previously secured “a little over a million dollars” for a Woodville well but that the project was not finished by the district. County Administrative Officer Jason Bridal said the current request seeks the balance of earlier funding and cautioned that the county cannot substitute for engineers or independent special-district decisions. “I wouldn't suggest becoming a zone of benefit for the county,” Bridal said, noting the county has limited authority over special districts and that engineers and district boards make technical and contractual decisions.

Board members also discussed asking the state Department of Water Resources for assistance. Supervisor McCarty asked for a return agenda item with a letter from the board to the Department of Water Resources; supervisors indicated interest in pursuing that avenue while the congressionally directed spending applications move forward.

The motion as approved directs staff to submit the applications and to provide copies of submitted applications to the board as required by the authorization. No formal additional funding or state action was approved during the meeting; the board’s action was limited to authorizing applications and letters of support.