The City of Santa Barbara is replacing its groundwater well in Alameda Park to boost water production after the current well failed earlier this year.
The well installed in 1990 started pumping sand in February due to a well structure failure and has been out of service since, according to city staff.
This new one is the same size and will be drilled 100 feet from the current well, on the southeast corner of Santa Barbara and Micheltorena streets near the public restrooms.
Advisory boards including the Water Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission have approved of the plan to relocate five large trees from the well area, including giant bird of paradise trees, king palms and a butia capitata palm.
Some of the resulting groundwater will be used for park irrigation and maintenance, according to city staff.
The city Public Works and Parks & Recreation departments will negotiate an agreement for use of the park land before construction starts, tentatively scheduled for January.
The Santa Barbara City Council gave approval on Tuesday for the project to move forward.
The city has nine groundwater wells as part of its water supply and has recently done emergency repair work to fix three of them.
The wells be used more as the city’s surface water supplies dwindle with the ongoing drought, including less water coming from Lake Cachuma and the State Water Project.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.