Page 15 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster

Beaumont Basin Watermaster
2013 Reevaluation of the Beaumont Basin Safe Yield 3-Apr-15

2.0 Description of the Study Area

2.1 Location

Although the Safe Yield reevaluation is specific to the Beaumont Basin, the area selected for the
model analysis (the Study Area) is larger and fully encompasses the Beaumont Basin (see
Figure 2). The Study Area is an approximate 80 square mile rectangular area that is
approximately 12 miles in the east-west direction and 6.5 miles in the north-south direction and
centered over the Beaumont Basin. Areas outside the Beaumont Basin and within the Study
Area include Calimesa, San Timoteo Creek, and the eastern part of Banning. The Study Area
boundaries are the same as the groundwater flow model boundaries (i.e. the Model Domain).

2.2 Jurisdictional Areas
The Study Area overlaps the jurisdictional areas of multiple water management and service
entities (see Figure 6). The SGPWA is a water wholesaler that provides imported water from the
State Water Project to retail water agencies within its service area. Local water districts include
BCVWD, YVWD, and SMWC. The City of Banning provides domestic water services within
its city limits through the Public Works and Utilities Department. The City of Beaumont is not a
retail water agency but does provide sewer and wastewater treatment services within its city
limits. The City of Calimesa and the City of Yucaipa are served by YVWD. SMWC straddles
the Riverside-San Bernardino County line and serves water to parts of Yucaipa and Calimesa.

2.3 Historical Land Use
Land use in the Beaumont Basin includes both urban areas (primarily residential) and
undeveloped open space (see Figure 7). For this study, urban areas were classified as high-
density residential, low-density residential, commercial, and urban landscape (e.g. parks, golf
courses, etc.). High-density residential areas consist primarily of closely-spaced single family
tract homes located throughout Beaumont, Banning, and Calimesa. Low-density residential
areas consist of rural homes with large lots located in the Cherry Valley area. Homes in the low-
density residential land use area are not served by a sewer system but rely on individual septic
systems for wastewater disposal.

Historically, small areas of agriculture have been utilized in the Study Area for the cultivation of
irrigated grains and tree crops as well as non-irrigated grains (DWR, 1974). Native vegetation
covers the balance of the Study Area.

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