Wells in Soledad are out commission, and Public Works is racing to repair them.

Soledad City Council met on Wednesday, July 31 to address issues with its potable water supply. The council authorized $120,000 for emergency repairs to wells. (This estimate is based on previous repairs that range from $25,000 to $120,000.)

This issue happened just before a seasonal surge in demand. August and September are the months when water usage swells.

“With three out of our five wells down, it's tough to keep our reservoirs full. Our reservoirs are designed to have adequate storage for this community,” said Don Wilcox, director of public works, during the July 31 meeting. 

A day prior, city officials announced three out its five wells that provide potable water were down; two are broken and one is shut down for maintenance. Officials are asking residents for voluntary water reductions, asking them to cut water consumption by 25 percent. (These reductions are voluntary, and the city did not implement a water shortage contingency plan.) 

“The city does not have the appropriate water capacity and therefore [is] running slow on water supply,” the city's July 30 statement reads. 

Staff said these type of issues are rare and they are working to bring the supply back online as soon as possible. Since the announcement, one of the broken wells is running again and they hope another one will be working by Monday. 

“We are not in an emergency, and we do not want residents of Soledad to panic,” officials said in statement on July 31. 

City staff notified Cal Fire about Soledad’s water woes, and the firefighting agency indicated it would provide needed water in the event of a fire, until supply is restored.