County Breaks Ground on Yettem-Seville Water System

The Yettem-Seville Water System Improvement Project is ready to break ground after decades of enduring water quality and supply issues. On Tuesday March 5, 2019 the communities of Yettem and Seville will come together and celebrate the groundbreaking event with the newly formed Yettem-Seville Community Services District.

“It is an exciting time for the residents of Yettem and Seville as their long journey in getting clean water is now becoming a reality,” stated Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero who represents the communities of Yettem and Seville.

The Yettem-Seville Water System Improvement Project Groundbreaking event will begin at 3:00pm and be held at the location of the new storage tank site located on Madera Street near Mariposa Drive in Seville.   

Yettem and Seville are unincorporated communities located in Tulare County, approximately nine miles north of the City of Visalia. Both communities have experienced struggles in having a reliable water supply and have been plagued with water quality issues due to nitrate contamination.

The County of Tulare owns and operates the Yettem water system built in 1995. In 2009, the County took over receivership of the Seville water system. Since then county officials, state agencies and stakeholders have been working to bring solutions in fixing the aged water systems. Funding for the Yettem-Seville Water System Improvement Project was provided through the State Water Resources Control Board.

Construction on the new water systems will commence in two phases, with Phase 1 set to be completed by the end of this year. Phase 1 will replace the water distribution system in the community of Seville, include new smart water meters, and include a new water storage tank. The next phase of the project will provide a connection pipeline of both water systems. In total, the project is estimated to cost $8 million to complete. 

In November 2018, the voters approved Measure Y to form the Yettem-Seville Community Services District and the newly formed district will operate the new water systems once construction is complete.