Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District (BCVWD) announced that it is buying as much water as possible to replace local groundwater and build community reserves.
Following California’s unprecedented wet weather in 2023, BCVWD requested to purchase up to 18,200 acre-feet of water from San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) for 2024. The purchase follows a similar water order for up to 18,000 acre-feet in 2023.
The extra water will be stored for future use, supporting long-term supply dependability for area residents.
The total amount of water delivered to BCVWD in 2024 will be dependent on winter storms, water supply availability and capacity constraints in the East Branch Extension of the State Water Project.
“Thanks to thoughtful planning and valuable partnerships, we hope to replenish up to 36,400 acre-feet of water to the Beaumont Basin for 2023 and 2024 demands and future water supplies” said BCVWD general manager Daniel Jaggers. “Our state will experience more dry periods and shoring up this water now will help protect our community from future drought impacts.”
The imported water supply will be used to replenish the Beaumont Basin through the District’s Noble Creek Recharge Facility and the SGPWA Brookside Recharge Facility. Careful monitoring of water extracted through pumping and imported water purchased for replenishment is critical for balancing the basin. Water that has been recharged into the basin can further be recovered through future pumping to meet customer needs.
“One acre-foot of water is enough to serve about three families for a year,” said SGPWA vice president Mickey Valdivia. “By helping bring available water to the area, BCVWD is playing a pivotal role in ensuring our region continues to have a reliable supply when the next drought hits.”
For the first time since 2006, SGPWA received a 100% allocation of Table A water supplies in 2023. Combined with additional water supply contracts, Table A allocation for 2023 has provided favorable water deliveries to the region. The agency’s total water portfolio currently sits at about 37,500 acre-feet in 2023 due to additional water deliveries and agreements. BCVWD is among other local retail agencies working collectively to obtain all the water supplies available to the region.
Over the past eight years, BCVWD has ordered water for replenishment with additional supplies when available to bank for dry years and maximize recharge efforts. Due to statewide water conditions from 2019 to 2022, including drought, the amount of water available for replenishment of the Beaumont Basin was not enough to balance extraction. BCVWD anticipates the incoming surplus will allow the district’s storage account to recover as much as 6,000 to 8,000 acre-feet.
