Page 28 - Beaumont Basin Watermaster

Section 3
Water Quality Conditions

3.3 Groundwater Recharge

The Watermaster is responsible for maintaining an annual account of all water artificially
recharged in the Beaumont Basin and any losses of water supplies or Safe Yield resulting
from such recharge water. Sources of groundwater recharge include imported water from the
State Water Project (SWP), recycled water, and new yield sources developed in the basin
since the Judgment inception in July 2003. The Watermaster has maintained the accounting of
groundwater recharge; however, losses from the basin, estimated in the recently completed
(Sep 2018) Beaumont Basin Storage Analysis, have not been incorporated into the accounting
of storage in the basin. The Watermaster may adopt a policy to address storage losses in the
future. Table 3-4 presents a summary of the annual groundwater recharge in the Beaumont
Basin since 2003 on a calendar year basis.

3.3.1 State Water Project Water Recharge
Deliveries of imported water are conducted through the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency,
which is the State Water Contractor for this area. BCVWD’s Noble Creek spreading facility
located in the vicinity of Beaumont Avenue and Cherry Valley Boulevard, has been until now
the only facility in the Beaumont Basin where imported water can be delivered to recharge the
groundwater basin. The location of this spreading facility is depicted in Figure 3-3. Currently,
the SGPWA is constructing a new facility southwest of the intersection of Beaumont Avenue
and Brookside Avenue to spread imported water in the basin; this second facility is anticipated
to be operational in 2019.

The BCVWD began taking deliveries of imported water for groundwater recharge in the Fall of
2006 when 3,501 ac-ft were spread pursuant to the storage and recharge agreement on file
with Watermaster. Deliveries of imported water for BCVWD increased over the next five years
peaking in CY 2011 at 7,979 ac-ft and declining through 2015 to an all-time low of 2,773 ac-ft.
Over the last three years, BCVWD has spread over 35,000 ac-ft of imported water at the
Noble Creek facilities. A total of 84,242 ac-ft of imported water have been spread by BCVWD
since CY 2006 as documented in Table 3-4.

The City of Banning began purchasing imported water for recharge at the BCVWD’s Noble
Creek facility in July 2008 and has since recharged 13,442 ac-ft. in accordance with their
storage agreement on file with Watermaster. During CY 2012 and 2013, the City of Banning
spread an average of 100 ac-ft per month; spreading in CY 2014 and 2015 was reduced to
approximately half of that amount. However, spreading in CY 2016 and 2017 increased
significantly to 1,477 ac-ft and 1,350 ac-ft respectively. In CY 2018 the city of Banning spread
500 ac-ft.

In addition to imported water deliveries to BCVWD and the City of Banning at BCVWD’s Noble
Creek facility, SGPWA has also delivered significant quantities of imported water at the Little
San Gorgonio Creek Spreading Ponds. These spreading ponds are located outside the
adjudicated boundary of the Beaumont Basin and to the north of the Banning Fault, as shown
in Figure 3-3. Spreading of imported water at these spreading ponds is likely to be a source of
subsurface recharge to the Beaumont Basin; however, Watermaster has not adopted this

Beaumont Basin Watermaster 2018 Annual Report – DRAFT - February 2019 3-6