The Agency is one of 29 State Water Contractors. As a Contractor, the Agency is responsible for paying its share of the debt service on the State Water Project. While most of this construction occurred in the 1960’s and 1970’s, it is still going on today with both capital projects and major O&M (operation and maintenance) projects under construction at any given time. Each contractor is responsible for the importation of water from Lake Oroville and the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta through the State Water Project into its service area. The East Branch Extension, the pipeline that brings State Project Water into the Agency’s service area, was completed in 2003. The Agency sells this water to local water retailers to reduce local groundwater overdraft. Currently, the Agency is selling water to the Yucaipa Valley Water District (the Calimesa area), the Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District (Beaumont and Cherry Valley), and the City of Banning.
The San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency’s mission is to import supplemental water and to protect and enhance local water supplies for use by present and future water users and to sell imported water to local water districts within the service areas of the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency.


The San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency will partner with other local stakeholders to assure that growing regional water needs are met, optimizing the use of existing resources, without adverse impacts on local groundwater basins.

In order to bring this vision to fruition, we will:
• Play a leadership role in managing local water resources.
• Bring supplemental water to the region to meet short and long-term needs.
• Develop and work from a financial plan to ensure that funding to reach our goals is available.

 

Final 2010 Water Allocation Set

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has set the final water allocation for State Water Contractors for this year—50%.  That means that all 29 State Water Contractors will get 50% of their water allotment from DWR.  In our case, it means we will get 8,650 acre-feet in 2010 (a little over 2.8 billion gallons).  This is the fourth year in a row that our allocation is considerably less than 100%. 

Despite the wet spring, with high levels of rainfall and snow in many parts of the state, the allocation is just 50% for three primary reasons.  First, even though much of the state received high precipitation levels, the Feather River watershed, where Lake Oroville is located, received relatively less rainfall and snow.  Second, Lake Oroville was at record low levels at the end of last year and is still only about 91% of its average level for this time of year.  Third, court-ordered restrictions on moving water through the Delta limited the allocation.  Without these restrictions, the allocation likely would have been 60%.

This year’s allocation—8650 acre-feet—is enough water for about 17,300 families for a year.  It points out the fact that water conservation is still important for residents of the Pass, due to the fourth relatively dry year in a row.

EBX 2, or the East Branch Extension, Phase 2, is a planned $200 million pipeline/pumpstation/reservoir project that will enable the Agency to get its full allotment of water from the State of California. Currently our connection to the California Aqueduct has capacity for only about half of our 17,300 acre-feet per year. This means that we are paying debt service for water that we cannot take delivery of.

The project is a partnership between the Agency, the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and the California Department of Water Resources. (who also benefits by improving its ability to deliver water to Yucaipa) and the California Department of Water Resources (who will build and own the project).

The facility is currently scheduled to go online in 2013. Click here for more information about this important project.


© 2009 San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency