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Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) will soon be able to construct a new pipeline to provide the Eastern Coachella Valley communities safe drinking water thanks to a $23.4 million State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) grant.
SWRCB awarded the grant last week in response to hearing CVWD’s plan to connect more than 100 small water systems to CVWD’s infrastructure.
The Avenue 66 Transmission Main project will connect three disadvantaged communities to CVWD’s domestic water system and will provide the critical backbone infrastructure for up to 35 future consolidations. The 30-inch pipeline will also provide increased reliability of water service to existing customers in the East Valley including Mecca, North Shore and Bombay Beach.
“CVWD is the epitome of leadership around achieving the human right to water in the state and bringing that to a reality,” said SWRCB Board Member Laurel Firestone. “You are the reason I have hope that we will be able to achieve this in our state. I echo the need for your leadership as models around the state with other partners.”
In addition, CVWD also received a $7 million budget appropriation that Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, (D-Coachella) secured in 2021 to fund Phase 1b for the Avenue 66 Project.
“This incredible funding victory is a testament to our strong regional collaboration, along with Coachella Valley Water District and Board Vice President Estrada’s leadership with the Disadvantaged Communities Infrastructure Task Force where we set out a vision to rectify our regional water access disparities through strategic policy action,” stated Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia. “Together with our recent budget allocation, we have now secured over $30 million from the State of California to improve safe water infrastructure in the Eastern Coachella Valley.”
CVWD continues to pursue project funding with state and federal partners. Most recently, on March 25, CVWD and Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) announced $2.7 million in federal funding for a water transmission main project in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
“Ensuring our Eastern Coachella Valley communities have clean drinking water is a priority for Coachella Valley Water District. Water is key to our daily lives and access to clean drinking water is a basic human right,” said CVWD Board Vice President Cástulo Estrada.
