A new water processing plant is going online in Delano that will remove nitrates from the drinking water. The $5 million plant starts work Tuesday and replaces a well that exceeded the standard for nitrates, but State Water Boards Engineer Tricia Wathen says the plant is still in the experimental stage. It uses bacteria to essentially “eat” the nitrates and then a filter removes the bugs from the water. Data from the new system will be collected over the next year and could lead to installations in other Valley communities where nitrates in the water is a serious health hazard.

Sean Michael Lisle