San Jacinto Valley Groundwater Treatment project underway

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new San Jacinto Valley Groundwater Treatment Facility with the traditional first shovel of dirt to kickstart the project which will further support EMWD’s continually expanding groundwater program.

EMWD has previously completed four new groundwater wells and pipelines that will deliver water to the facility, located on the northwest corner of Hewitt and Evans Streets in San Jacinto.

Projected to be operational in the spring of 2026, the facility will use filtration media technology to remove iron and manganese from local groundwater supplies in the San Jacinto Valley. Once the water leaves the treatment facility, it will be delivered to homes and businesses throughout the region, helping to increase EMWD’s local water supplies.

The $32 million project received $3 million in funding from the Fifth District of Riverside County, through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal funding package. Gutierrez, who represents the Fifth District, has been an advocate of the project. Ruiz, who represents the San Jacinto Valley in Congress, has also expressed support for the project, which will lessen EMWD’s reliance on imported water supplies.

“EMWD works hard to return our customers’ tax dollars back into their communities, and the partnerships we have developed on the federal and local level have enabled us to do that with this project,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “This facility will ensure the residents of the San Jacinto Valley, and surrounding areas, have a clean and reliable source of water for future generations.”

At peak capacity, the facility would produce more than 11,000 acre feet of clean and safe water per year – enough for more than 25,000 households annually.

EMWD is expanding its groundwater infrastructure throughout its service area, including the San Jacinto Valley. In recent years, EMWD has also constructed a new groundwater replenishment facility, a large diameter pipeline and a pump station that will help replenish groundwater with water from the State Water Project when it is available during years of heavy and average rainfall. These facilities will allow EMWD to improve the quality and quantity of groundwater supplies and provide a more sustainable local water source for its service area.

“EMWD is proud to invest in the future of our water supplies and our communities,” Paule said. “We look forward to celebrating the completion of this project and the benefits it will provide to our current and future customers.”