Water District looks at multi-beneficial use projects for land

The San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (SBVMWD) will begin considering multi-beneficial use projects for approximately 1,650 acres of land during a board of directors workshop scheduled for today.

SBVMWD acquired the undeveloped land at the base of the San Bernardino mountains from the Orange County Flood Control District that was used for the excavation of natural materials during the construction of the Seven Oaks Dam. Post-dam construction, the land was subsequently envisioned for homes and commercial business, however, development of the site was stalled for over ten years due to environmental lawsuits and other constraints on the location.

“This property in Highland is ideally suited to provide multiple benefits supporting our mission,” commented Valley District CEO and General Manager, Heather Dyer. “Elevation-wise, it’s in a perfect location to accommodate our future water infrastructure needs, including water storage and movement of local water supplies throughout the San Bernardino and Yucaipa Valleys. At the same time, it provides the mitigation land we needed to satisfy permit requirements for our regional Habitat Conservation Plan, which allows eleven public agencies to build over 100 local water projects. Being able to buy the land at auction, for about 10-15% of the cost per acre compared to what we previously had to spend on land for the same purposes, offered tremendous value to the District.”

The public is invited to participate in the Workshop at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Meeting information can be found by clicking here.

“We need to produce reliable water supply for our retail water providers in coming years and to be resilient in the face of uncertain future weather and water conditions” stated Paul Kielhold, Valley District Board President. “Finding properties like this, that can support future water projects over the long-term, complimented by the landscape and environmental benefits already onsite doesn’t happen very often. This purchase was a great opportunity for Valley District.”

In the last decade, Valley District has become a regional leader in water resilience preparation. The District recognized the value of the land in meeting its multi-benefit goals, including habitat mitigation for Valley District and the ten other agencies it has partnered with on their 50-year habitat conservation plan. Within the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Habitat Conservation Plan, over 100 future projects in the region have been identified to be built in the next 50 years. Along with these projects come requirements to lessen environmental impacts to endangered or threatened species that may be caused by construction and operation. This property will mitigate a large portion of that environmental impact while also providing additional benefits that enhance long-term water supply reliability.