The City of San Fernando celebrated a water milestone on Thursday, Sept. 5.
State Sen. Caroline Menjivar and Metropolitan Water District Board Chair Adan Ortega joined San Fernando’s mayor and City Council members to “turn off the valve” and mark the city’s “return to water independence.”
State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, San Fernando City Councilwoman Victoria Garcia, San Fernando MWD Chair Adán Ortega, Vice Mayor Mary Mendoza, Mayor Celeste Rodriguez and City Councilwoman Mary Solorio and her four-month-old baby Eleanor pose at the Metropolitan Water District’s shut off valve in San Fernando’s booster station on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 as they celebrate shutting off MWD water to the city after removing nitrates from their ground water wells and bringing them back online. Last year, Menjivar secured $3 million for the city’s water infrastructure including the nitrate treatment for their highest producing well. The nitrates are from the city’s agricultural past. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Holding San Fernando City Councilwoman Mary Solorio’s four-month-old baby Eleanor State Sen. Caroline Menjivar speaks on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 during a press conference announcing San Fernando no longer needs Metropolitan Water District’s water after the city’s ground water wells went back online after nitrate filtration. Last year, Menjivar secured $3 million for the city’s water infrastructure including the nitrate treatment for city’s highest producing well. The nitrates are from the city’s agricultural past. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Danny Garcia, a distribution operator, runs San Fernando’s booster station where they have a connection to MWD water seen on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. San Fernando celebrated shutting off MWD water to the city after removing nitrates from their ground water wells and bringing them back online. Last year, State Senator Caroline Menjivar secured $3 million for the city’s water infrastructure including the nitrate treatment for the city’s highest producing well. The nitrates are from the city’s agricultural past. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
State Sen. Caroline Menjivar and San Fernando Mayor Celeste Rodriguez pose with San Fernando officials and city employees at the Metropolitan Water District’s shut off valve in San Fernando’s booster station on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 as they celebrate shutting off MWD water to the city after removing nitrates from their ground water wells and bringing them back online. Last year, Menjivar secured $3 million for the city’s water infrastructure including the nitrate treatment for their highest producing well. The nitrates are from the city’s agricultural past. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, San Fernando City Councilwoman Victoria Garcia, San Fernando MWD Chair Adán Ortega, Vice Mayor Mary Mendoza, Mayor Celeste Rodriguez and City Councilwoman Mary Solorio and her four-month-old baby Eleanor pose at the Metropolitan Water District’s shut off valve in San Fernando’s booster station on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024 as they celebrate shutting off MWD water to the city after removing nitrates from their ground water wells and bringing them back online. Last year, Menjivar secured $3 million for the city’s water infrastructure including the nitrate treatment for their highest producing well. The nitrates are from the city’s agricultural past. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Thanks to its system of groundwater wells and treatment systems, the city is able to again rely on its own water and was able to shut off outside water resources from MWD.
Menjivar, Ortega, Mayor Celeste Rodriguez, Vice Mayor Mary Mendoza, City Council members Mary Solorio and Victoria Garcia, as well as San Fernando MWD Chair Adán Ortega all helped the city celebrate its “independence” at San Fernando’s water booster station.
City crews and MWD were able to remove nitrates — remnants from the community’s agricultural past — from their ground water wells and bringing them back online.
Last year, Menjivar secured $3 million for the city’s water infrastructure — including the nitrate treatment process for the city’s highest-producing well.
