In response to concerns about how imported water primarily may be impacting groundwater quality, the Santa Ana RWQCB issued a tentative Waste Discharge Requirement General Order for the regulation of imported State Project Water, Colorado River Water and imported well water to recharge groundwater management zones in the Santa Ana Region on April 19, 2006. In response, SAWPA, its member districts and other water management agencies requested that a regional alternative to the regulation be developed. The Santa Ana RWQCB was supportive of this action and directed their staff to work with the water agencies on an alternative approach. A workgroup was formed among recharging and other interested parties and monthly meetings were conducted and administered by SAWPA. After one year of negotiations, an agreement was approved by the RWQCB on January 18, 2008 among the RWQCB and the SAR Watershed recharging parties entitled “Cooperative Agreement to Protect Water Quality and Encourage the Conjunctive Uses of Imported Water in the Santa Ana River Basin”. The agreement was accompanied by a RWQCB Board resolution that addressed how parameters other than nitrogen and TDS will be monitored and addressed. Some of tasks that the parties agreed to conduct are as follows:

 

1) Prepare a projection of ambient water quality in each groundwater management zone at six-year intervals for the subsequent 20 years.

 

2) Determine the impacts of foreseeable recharge projects and compare to baseline ambient water quality with salinity objectives.

 

3) Compare current water quality in each groundwater management zone with the ambient water quality projection made six years earlier, together with an evaluation of the reason(s) for any differences.

 

The parties to the Cooperative Agreement are as follows: Eastern Municipal Water District, Orange County Water District, Western Municipal Water District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, City of Riverside, City of Corona, and the City of San Bernardino Water Department. SAWPA will continue to serve as a coordinating body for the agreement parties for the foreseeable future.

 

View the Workgroup Agreement

Meeting Summaries / Presentations / Materials

Mark Norton (951) 354-4221