Inland Empire Utilities Agency to receive nearly $50 million for Chino Basin

The Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) recently announced they have been awarded conditional funding from two competitive grant programs for their Inland Empire Recycled Water and Aquifer Storage Project and Chino Basin Advanced Treated Recycled Water, Storage, and Production project.

IEUA will receive more than $46 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program and $2.8 million from the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Water Recycling and Desalination grant program.

The selections, both in support of improvement projects under the Chino Basin Program (CBP), will help enhance water resource sustainability throughout the region and provide environmental benefits at the State and local levels.

“Water recycling is a critical component of the water resources management strategy for IEUA and the Chino Basin,” stated IEUA Board President Marco Tule. “The Inland Empire Recycled Water and Aquifer Storage Project aims to support drought resiliency efforts by increasing our ability to develop recycled water for groundwater recharge. Application of these funds will aid in conserving potable water supplies and increasing stored water in the Chino Basin.”

Once constructed, the CBP will include an advanced water purification facility to provide an additional 15,000 acre-feet per year of treated water for recharge purposes within the Chino Basin, allowing for more flexibility during future extended droughts.