Calif. utility dedicates new water well to former board member

Oct. 19, 2022

Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company dedicated its new Leahy Well, which will be able to pump 3,500 gallons per minute, to former board member Jerry Larsen.

Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company (BSMWC), a water utility that serves Bellflower and Somerset, Calif., dedicated its new Leahy Well in honor of former BSMWC board member Jerry Larsen during a ceremony on October 8.

The new well will improve water quality and reliability for about 50,000 Bellflower residents served by BSMWC. The Leahy Well will pump up to 3,500 gallons of water per minute, allowing BSMWC to refurbish or replace existing wells without impacting service.

The BSMWC Board of Directors joined staff, shareholders, and Larsen’s family at the well’s pump house for a brief ceremony marked by words of remembrance for Larsen, who was a strong advocate for the Leahy Well.

Phyllis Larsen cuts the ribbon in honor of her late husband, Jerry, at the well dedication.

“Jerry, my father, loved serving his community,” says his daughter, Teri Larsen. “He was deeply committed to offering his guidance and expertise to Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company for almost 50 years and would be so honored to know the well was dedicated in his memory.”

Larsen was first elected to the Somerset Mutual Water Company Board of Directors in 1970 and was instrumental in the merger with Bellflower Mutual Water Company. He continued serving on the BSMWC Board of Directors until his passing in 2019.

“The reliability that the Leahy Well provides is exceptional, something our team is proud to have accomplished for Bellflower-Somerset shareholders,” said BSMWC General Manager Steve Lenton, who spoke at the ceremony.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Joy Langford, a Board member for the Water Replenishment District; Bellflower City Council Member Dan Koops; and BSMWC Board President Rick Cook, who led the ribbon cutting. The ceremony was followed by a tour of the well pump house.