With water scarcity becoming a greater concern in California, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District announced today its fourth highest water recharge record of all time: 74,958-acre feet of water, or 24,425,171,383 gallons. This extraordinary figure includes 25,525-acre feet from the State Water Project and 6,409-acre feet from in-river channel recharge. The amount can be credited to high levels of rain and snowmelt as well as the district's efficient water capture and storage efforts in local underground aquifers.
REDLANDS, Calif., Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- With water scarcity becoming a greater concern in California, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District announced today its fourth highest water recharge record of all time: 74,958-acre feet of water, or 24,425,171,383 gallons. This extraordinary figure includes 25,525-acre feet from the State Water Project and 6,409-acre feet from in-river channel recharge. The amount can be credited to high levels of rain and snowmelt as well as the district's efficient water capture and storage efforts in local underground aquifers.
"Groundwater recharge is the most economical, environmentally harmonious, and resilient way we can safeguard our region's water supply," said General Manager Betsy Miller Vixie. "Alongside our interagency partners, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District is committed to maximizing the capture and storage of available water sources every year. We are excited about our team's 2024 accomplishments and expect to far exceed these recharge numbers as new interagency projects come online in the coming months and years."
The Conservation District began keeping records in 1912, including "in-river recharge" which is water that naturally sinks into the ground as it flows through the creeks and rivers locally. Since its inception, the SBVWCD has conserved more than 1.47-million-acre feet or 481.74-billion gallons of water by diverting the natural flow of the Santa Ana River and Mill Creek into 71 percolation basins. This allow the water to collect and seep naturally into the ground, where it can be pumped out for future use. Miller Vixie credits the historic capture to several projects and partnerships including:
- 2024: Phased operation of newly constructed basins built as part of the Enhanced Recharge Project facilities in construction along the Santa Ana River, in partnership with the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and others.
- 2023: New Mill Creek Diversion completed in December 2023.
- 2020-2022: Establishment of the Plunge Creek Conservation Project, which restored the creek back to a naturally braided stream to significantly improve groundwater storage while increasing habitat for the endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat and other sensitive species. It also created more than 13 acres of new wetted area to recharge the aquifer.
- 2020: Approval of the Upper Santa Ana River Wash Habitat Conservation Plan, which balances land uses within the wash to protect groundwater replenishment, native habitat for threatened species, along with industry and recreational uses for the community.
- 2019: Completion of Phase 1 of an Enhanced Recharge Project, designed and built by San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District to clean waterflows released from Seven Oaks Dam prior to recharge by the Conservation District.
- 2018: The formation of the San Bernardino Basin Groundwater Council, which purchased State Project Water for recharge.
About the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District:
For nearly a century, the SBVWCD has stewarded the San Bernardino Valley water basin and the native species of the Upper Santa Ana River Wash. Its collaborative approach to project management assures high-quality local water supplies for people, agriculture, and the environment. This includes groundwater recharge and oversight, and protection of habitat and native species in the Wash. Visit www.sbvwcd.org. Foollow SBVWCD on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sbvwcd
Media Contact
Betsy Miller Vixie, San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, 1 (909) 793-2503, [email protected], sbvwcd.org
SOURCE San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District
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