California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) $750,000 in grant funding for a drought resiliency project. The WaterSMART Drought Response Program focuses on projects that increase water management flexibility and water supply reliability, including projects that reduce the need for drought emergency response actions. The funding provided is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART initiative.
IEUA’s Wineville Basin and Jurupa Basin Improvements project will improve groundwater recharge within the Agency’s service area. The project will include the expansion and modification of existing recharge basins, installation and expansion of pump stations, and an intertie between the Wineville and Jurupa Basins for stormwater and dry weather runoff recharge. The project will enable IEUA to divert, capture and recharge an additional 2,760 acre-feet to the Chino Groundwater Basin annually.
This project is part of the Agency’s Recharge Master Plan Update, a local plan aimed at long-term, sustainable management of groundwater supplies in the Chino Basin. The Agency has identified the capture and recharge of stormwater and dry weather runoff as an opportunity to improve water supply reliability and contribute to the region’s drought resilience.
“IEUA continues to implement drought response projects for the region,” stated IEUA Board President Steve Elie. “IEUA encourages inclusive planning to build long-term resiliency to drought, and this project ensures that additional water is captured and recharged for the region’s future uses.”
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency covers 242-square miles, distributes imported water, provides industrial/municipal wastewater collection and treatment services, and other related utility services to more than 875,000 people through its member agencies which include Chino, Chino Hills, Cucamonga Valley Water District, Fontana, Fontana Water Company, Montclair, Monte Vista Water District, Ontario, and Upland.
