Engineering design is nearing completion for Phase 1B of theEnhanced Recharge Project led by the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District in partnership with SBVWCD, Western Municipal Water District, and the City of Riverside Public Utilities. Phase 1A included the construction of a sedimentation basin and a new pipeline connection to convey water to other basins for recharge and/or delivery to water treatment plants. Phase 1B will include construction of new canals, percolation basins and a mechanical trash rack, which will more than double the amount of water that can be recharged to serve more than 1 million people in the region.
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The 4,800 acres where the Santa Ana River has rolled out of the steep mountains and meandered through flat, scrubby eastern San Bernardino Valley is rare, government agencies, conservationists and miners would agree. Owned and managed by a patchwork of interests, until now there has been no unifying plan to balance the need for aggregate, groundwater recharge and habitat for endangered species, all of which have limited placement options.
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Construction on the Plunge Creek Habitat Conservation Plan began this month, following the recent Safe Harbor Agreement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. All other permits and contracting have been completed, along with survey, mobilization and pre-project biological work. Read More

District staff is taking advantage of the dry weather to do additional maintenance and cleanout of the Santa Ana River spreading grounds this summer. That includes crossing repairs, (see photo), maintenance, and vegetation control. Some materials collected during the cleaning, such as boulders and silt, may be used for the Plunge Creek Habitat Conservation Plan restoration. The work will continue through August.