City Council is considering the purchase of a water well and water rights from Monrovia at a cost of $200,000. An additional $100 thousand will be needed to construct a pumping station.
Arcadia city officials have adopted a voluntary water conservation program that aims to reduce annual water consumption by 10 percent. Currently there is a state wide drought and a local water supply shortage. Metropolitan Water District (MWD) has voted to raise water rates 14 percent in July 2009. The other two main sources of the city's water are the Main San Gabriel Basin and Raymond Basin.
The city has awarded a contract to Den Boer to improve the seismic reliability of the city's water system. Den Boer is to work on the water supply well at Chapman Water Facility.
The Arcadia City Council approved the design for a proposed addition to the new car showroom at Rusnak Mercedes-Benz. The dealer wants to build a two-story, 2644 square feet addition to the southeast corner of the showroom. The City council approved additions to other businesses as well.
University of Massachusetts researchers studying the faults of the Los Angeles basin say strain is driving the ground higher as the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys are squeezed toward the northern mountains. The Raymond Fault lies beneath San Marino, Arcadia, and South Pasadena.
One of Arcadia's water wells, located on Camino Real Ave. between First and Second Avenues was pumping sandy water into the city's water distribution system. The well was shut down and will be carefully checked. The sandy water was not contaminated or harmful to drink.
Although two of Arcadia's 14 water wells have been contaminated by industrial solvents for years, a purification system installed by the city last December is reportedly working well, allowing the water from these wills to be used.
Residents in much of the San Gabriel Valley can now shop for groceries online from Arcadia based Vons Company. Vons.com offers the same products as found in the stores at the same price, but charges $9.95 for delivery.
A water main broke on December 22,2008, creating a large sinkhole on Orange Grove Avenue, just west of Santa Anita Avenue, near the intersection with Hyland Avenue. The rupture opened a hole about 25 to 30 feet across and 5 feet deep.
New regulations require that Arcadia, among other cities in the Los Angeles River basin, reduce the amount of trash put into the system to "zero tolerance" in twelve years. Arcadia has joined other cities in the Coalition for Practical Regulation to appeal the order.
Longden Well No. 1 has been taken out of service as levels of TCE (trichloroethyene) in the water have risen in excess of the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. TCE is an industrial solvent used for cleaning purposes.
The water in Baldwin Lake at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, which is actually a sag pond, is evaporating, and the water is not being replenished by the artesian well because of low levels in the water table. The lake is famous from the television show Fantasy Island. The last time Baldwin Lake was dry was 1991.
Despite California's third consecutive dry year, Arcadia pumped 5.56 billion gallons of water from its wells in 1988 setting the city's third highest year on record.
The City Council will increase water rates on a year to year basis for the next five years. Funds will thus be accumulated for predictable major replacement projects. These projects are outlined in the article.