BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Cal Water is replacing aging water infrastructure in Northeast Bakersfield, adding a new half-million-gallon tank and high-capacity pumps that officials say will strengthen fire protection and improve water pressure reliability for nearby residents and Bakersfield College.
The project is expected to be completed in December.
Rafael Molina, Cal Water's Bakersfield district manager, gave an exclusive tour of the upgrades, which include a new 500,000-gallon tank and two 750-gallon-per-minute pumps capable of delivering a combined 1,500 gallons per minute.
"We built a brand new 500,000, half a million gallon tank, and we also added two 750 gallon per minute pumps. Combined, it does 1500 gallons per minute. In the event of a fire, just this station alone, not taking into consideration everything else we have, will give firefighters about an additional 5.5 hours of water supply," Molina said.
Molina tells 23ABC Bakersfield College approached Cal Water while planning a campus expansion that required increased fire-flow capacity. Cal Water funded the new water tank, while the college paid for the pumps and pressure vessel. The upgraded station will support both the campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
The new pumps are designed to adjust to demand, helping maintain steady water pressure during peak-use times in the mornings and evenings.
While Cal Water is not promising lower water bills as a result of the project, Molina said the upgraded firefighting infrastructure helps Bakersfield maintain its Class 2 ISO fire-protection rating - something that can help keep property-insurance costs lower for residents.
Northeast Bakersfield resident Amalia Garcia said she hopes the improvements lead to long-term savings for the community.
"This is my son's house and his bills are pretty high on water, maybe 100 or 150 dollars. I mean, he's struggling too. The bills are expensive. As you could tell, we can't water the yard because he can't afford it," Garcia said.
The upgrades are part of a broader effort by Cal Water to replace aging infrastructure throughout Bakersfield. During the tour, Molina showed a section of one of the city's original downtown supply pipes - a piece of riveted steel more than 100 years old.
"This is a cool piece of history. Someone had to sit there and, you know, drill through the, through this thing and install rivets and, you know, that was the technology they had back in the 1920s," Molina said.
Cal Water is now using materials such as ductile iron and PVC as it replaces that aging infrastructure.
"With aging infrastructure, there's a lot of maintenance, right? Pumps start going bad, pipes start leaking, and it's so much better to - rather than putting Band-Aids on them and fixing that little section - ultimately, it's more cost-effective to just replace it," Molina said.
Bakersfield College did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
