A San Benito County Water District official expects to have all customers back online in seven to 10 days following the “nicking” of a well one week ago.
District Manager Jeff Cattaneo said he hopes to have the repair finished and the pipe operating in that seven- to 10-day window. A driller, who didn’t conduct an “underground service alert” to examine the area below, hit the pipe in the Orchard Road area. That conduit carries water from Casa de Fruta to the San Juan Valley.
“He didn’t know the Hollister Conduit was right underneath where he was going to drill,” Cattaneo said, adding that the person ended up “nicking” the pipe, causing a two-inch hole.
The hole has disrupted service for about 500 customers who rely on the imported water, from the federal Bureau of Reclamation, as a significant source in the local supply.
“Some of growers without water are unhappy because they were relying on that,” Cattaneo said.
He mentioned one situation in which a farmer had to put off work on tomatoes.
Cattaneo said the district had to drain half of the pipeline and lost 10-acre feet of water from a “precious” supply. That is about $20,000 worth of water, he said.
Cattaneo said any driller who does such damage without the necessary underground service alert is liable for damages.
