Water board adds teeth to new consolidation order for East Orosi
So much time has passed since the state Water Resources Control Board mandated two small Tulare County towns to consolidate their water systems, that a new, updated order was released Feb. 27.
The new consolidation order comes with a clear, enforceable timeline as well as milestone deadlines and a completion date of Dec. 1, 2027.
“In a year and a half, Lord willing, we will be done.”
– Denise England, Tulare County grants and resources manager
The new order replaces all prior orders issued since 2020, when the state Water Board first ordered the communities to work together in an effort to bring clean drinking water to the smaller East Orosi’s 420 residents.
The community’s groundwater is unsafe to drink due to nitrate contamination and aging infrastructure. East Orosi households have used emergency hauled and bottled water for more than 14 years, trucked in by the state at a cost of more than $1.2 million.
More than 18 months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a trio of bills to bring clean drinking water to homes in East Orosi, yet residents are still waiting for the project to break ground.
Consolidation has been delayed, in part, because of repeated stalemates and infighting between Orosi Public Utilities District (PUD) and East Orosi Community Services District (CSD). The communities are separated by just one mile.
“Politically, there’s just been an unwillingness to consolidate,” said Denise England, Tulare County grants and resources manager. “It boils down to an ‘us versus them’ mentality.”
The county was named administrator of East Orosi’s water system in 2022, helping residents service their domestic wells. It also was named administrator of the town’s wastewater system in 2025 and has managed to get the fragile system operational. And it took over billing after complaints of financial mismanagement and negligence.
“Issuing a new order is necessary to compel Orosi PUD and East Orosi CSD to timely complete the mandatory consolidation of their systems,” said Andrew Altevogt, Division of Drinking Water, Resiliency and Data Branch assistant deputy director. “Further delay and inaction related to the consolidation of Orosi PUD and East Orosi CSD is inconsistent with this objective.”
The $13.5 million consolidation project includes:
• Construction of a new groundwater well, capable of producing approximately 1,200 gallons per minute.
• Installation of a water supply connection (meter and lateral) on the Family Education Center water system.
Within East Orosi:
• Construction of approximately 9,450 feet of 8-inch diameter waterline distribution system.
• Construction of a new 360,000-gallon storage tank.
• Installation of water supply connections (meters and laterals) for approximately 101 existing residential connections and approximately 2 commercial service connections.
• Decommissioning and properly abandoning existing Well 1 (East) and Well 2 (West).
Within the Orosi PUD:
• Construction of approximately 6,700 feet of 8-inch 10-inch diameter waterline to convey water from Orosi PUD to East Orosi.
• Construction of approximately 5,050 feet of 10-inch pipeline connecting the well site to Orosi PUD.
England said a groundbreaking ceremony is tentatively scheduled in late April.
“In a year and a half, Lord willing, we will be done,” she said.
Since 2019, when the state water board’s Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) drinking water program began, there have been 180 consolidations in California benefitting 362,000 people, mostly in disadvantaged communities, according to a press release from the state water board.
The Water Board covers the cost of consolidations that it orders, and the larger consolidated water system typically benefits from the expanded customer base.
