Page 10 - Yucaipa Valley Water District - Board Workshop

Workshop Memorandum 18-241

Date: October 30, 2018

From: Joseph Zoba, General Manager

Subject: Overview of a Proposal to Conduct Pilot Recharge Testing to Evaluate the Long-
Term Infiltration Rates in the Beaumont Basin

Like most water agencies in the arid southwest, the
Yucaipa Valley Water District is confronted with increased
drinking water demands due to the increased population
and limited local water supplies. The Yucaipa Valley
Water District is somewhat unique given the strict
regulatory requirements that necessitate desalination of
recycled water supplies to protect local groundwater
basins pursuant to the 2004 Regional Water Quality
Control Basin Plan for the Santa Ana Region.

To address a wide range of regional issues, the District
has developed the Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply
Renewal Project to accomplish the following objectives:

REGIONAL BENEFITS:
 Provides the Yucaipa Valley with a renewable
water resource that will be a reliable water supply
in the upper Santa Ana Watershed.
 Protects and enhances the regional groundwater quality by exporting concentrated salt
brine that would normally accumulate through typical water use.
 Reduces the critical overdraft of the Yucaipa, Beaumont, and San Timoteo basins by
reducing the fresh water production from the local groundwater supplies.
 Encourages economic and environmental growth of the region by balancing water
demands.

WATERSHED BENEFITS:
 Equips the Wochholz Regional Water Recycling Facility with advanced treatment including
reverse osmosis to achieve an advanced, pure, and renewable water resource.
 Protects water quality in the lower Santa Ana Watershed by maintaining high quality water
in the upper watershed as the water of the upper basins eventually flows to the
downstream basins.
 Relies upon the Inland Empire Brineline, originally constructed by the Santa Ana
Watershed Authority, and a 15-mile extension constructed by the Yucaipa Valley Water
District.
 The Yucaipa Valley Water District is capable of achieving a zero-discharge providing the
ultimate protection of downstream water resources consistent with the goals of the Clean
Water Act.

Yucaipa Valley Water District - October 30, 2018 - Page 10 of 56