Groundwater from the City of Clarendon is now taking a little bit of pressure off a dwindling Lake Greenbelt, and City Hall has received its first payment from the water authority.
Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd carried a check to City Hall for $5,705.20 on Monday for May water usage. Water from the city’s well field began being mixed with lake water after the wells were officially permitted by the groundwater district on May 17.
Kidd said the Clarendon was approved for 1,718.5 acres of water rights after private wells were deducted from the town site. The city’s approved acreage will be reduced in the future if any new private wells are dug.
Five wells on the north side of the city are now satisfying between 25 and 40 percent of the needs of the Greenbelt system depending on the demand for water. Kidd said, on average, the wells will satisfy about 30 percent of the demand.
The wells are pumped at alternate times to allow times for each well to rest and recover.
Greenbelt also continues to develop additional water sources and has been permitted to place four wells on Kelly Creek. The water authority previously drilled test holes in that location in 2010 and will drill another next week. Greenbelt will then go through a bidding process to develop a Kelly Creek well field and lay pipe to tie into the system.
Even with the added supply to the system, water restrictions remain in place for Greenbelt’s member cities, including Clarendon and Hedley.
The Greenbelt Reservoir this week is holding about 2.39 billion gallons of water and is at 12.3 percent of its capacity.
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