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Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD) and the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) have been awarded $12.3 million in grant funding from the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for the Joint IEUA-JCSD Recycled Water Intertie Project (the RWP). The award was made available through USBR’s Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program.
As California’s drought conditions worsen, the RWP will play an essential role in the region’s long-term response to drought and water conservation. Upon completion, the RWP will produce over 1 billion gallons of recycled water annually. The RWP will offset precious potable water supplies by serving nearly 200 million gallons of recycled water annually to JCSD’s irrigation customers in Eastvale and Jurupa Valley. Irrigation customers include parks, schools, landscape irrigation along streets, and commercial properties.
“As water supplies are increasingly affected by drought conditions, the RWP will improve regional water management and resiliency,” said JCSD General Manager, Chris Berch. “This grant award, which will offset a significant portion of what has been budgeted for the RWP, is an example of JCSD’s commitment to its ratepayers and preserving precious water resources.”
The RWP signifies a regional water partnership between JCSD and IEUA that will secure local water supplies for local customers. Upon completion, IEUA’s service area will receive approximately 800 million gallons per year of recycled water through new infrastructure. The partnership will allow IEUA to utilize this new source of recycled water into their existing system, thus increasing IEUA’s ability to replenish the Chino Groundwater Basin with additional recycled water.
“Improving and increasing recycled water supplies is imperative for our region,” said IEUA General Manager Shivaji Deshmukh. “The RWP is an important part of our Chino Basin Program which includes a series of projects designed to increase local water supply reliability and control. Through this partnership with JCSD on the RWP, we will be better prepared for ongoing drought conditions. We appreciate the USBR recognizing the benefits of the RWP by awarding these needed funds.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates $8.3 billion for USBR water infrastructure projects to repair aging water delivery systems, secure dams, and complete rural water projects. The funding awarded for the RWP is part of the $1 billion in WaterSMART Water Recycling and Reuse grants provided by the Law.
