Following decades of hope and disappointment, Pioneertown’s one-time pipe dream of receiving potable water from the tap took a giant leap toward reality this week. Reporter Mike Lipsitz says the good news appears to exceed all expectations…
Earlier this week, county supervisors awarded Sukut Construction the contract to build a four-mile pipeline that will bring drinkable water to Pioneertown from a Hi-Desert Water District well in Yucca Valley. As if things couldn’t get better, supervisors authorized a $5.6 million bridge loan to provide cash flow for the project in advance of an anticipated grant from the State Water Resources Control Board. The county is eager to see the project get underway even though the grant funds are not expected until this January or soon after. The urgency stems from a requirement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the project be completed by the end of June 2019 or face significant penalties. For the 120 service connections that have lobbied for a reliable water source since the 1980s, June can’t come quickly enough.
AFTER DECADES, COUNTY FAST-TRACKS PIONEERTOWN WATER PIPELINE
