WATSONVILLE — Workers at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds are currently installing two large tanks for a system designed to provide water when it is otherwise unavailable.
According to Fairgrounds Manager Dave Kegebein, the fairgrounds gets its water from a well. When the pumps go out, or the electricity goes out, the current reserve tank can keep the water running for just a few hours, he said.
The two 50,000-gallon tanks, which are being installed in the main parking lot, will allow two weeks of water, he said.
The $200,000 cost for the project is being covered by the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation, and a grant by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. The City of Watsonville kicked in $50,000.
“It’s a key program that will give us a good supply of water in case of an emergency,” Kegebein said.