The City of Fresno’s Leaky Acres ponding basin near Highway 168 and Ashlan Avenue as seen Friday, Jan. 13., 2023. Photo by Ben Hensley
published on April 24, 2026 – 2:51 PM
Written by Frank Lopez
The City of Fresno has awarded a $5.2 million contract to Floyd Johnston Construction Co. of Clovis to upgrade the Leaky Acres groundwater recharge facility, a key component of the city’s water supply infrastructure.
The Fresno City Council approved the award at Thursday’s meeting, selecting from 43 prospective bidders/proposers.Fresno Awards $5.2M Contract to Improve Leaky Acres Groundwater Recharge Facility.
Leaky Acres is located east of Highway 168 near Ashlan Avenue.
Pipeline project
The project will modernize the facility’s man-made recharge basins, which date to the early 1970s. Currently, the basins are filled sequentially by gravity overflow. The upgrades will allow each basin to be filled independently by pipeline, enabling more accurate tracking of water delivery.
Work includes the installation of 5,170 linear feet of gravity flow pipeline and the construction or replacement of approximately 30 small diversion structures. The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. Consulting was handled by Provost & Pritchard Engineering Group under a $481,512 contract.
Eager to move forward
City Manager Georgeanne White said officials are eager to move forward given the short rainy season and the need to coordinate with the Fresno Irrigation District and Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District. Leaky Acres is the city’s largest recharge basin, and taking it offline must be carefully timed, she said.
The apparent low bidder, Dawson-Mauldin LLC of Selma, submitted a base bid of $4.7 million but was disqualified after failing to sign the bid document. The company requested an appeal hearing, which was rejected.
Floyd Johnston Construction was founded in 1969 by pipeline contractor James F. “Floyd” Johnston and his wife, Evelyn M. Quarsema. The company continued operating after Johnston and employee Jacob Curiel were killed in a plane crash near Porterville in 2013.