40,000 Riverside County Residents Gain Access to State Water Supply Via New Partnership by Western Water Jul 24, 2024 Member Submitted News A new partnership between five water agencies gives Rubidoux Community Services District (RCSD) access to high-quality, imported drinking water to meet growing demand. Over the past 50 years, the population in RCSD, a Western Municipal Water District (Western Water) wholesale customer, has increased from 4,000 to 40,000. RCSD previously relied on only local groundwater and needed a new way to bolster water supplies to serve its growing community. Now, four water agencies have joined forces with RCSD to ensure they have enough safe, reliable drinking water for every customer. Through a new agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan), San Bernardino Valley Water District (San Bernardino Valley), West Valley Water District (WVWD), and Western Water, up to 2,000 acre-feet of water imported through the State Water Project will soon flow to RCSD customers’ taps every year. “This agreement is a shining example of the power that water agencies have to come together to serve customers reliably and affordably,” said Western Water General Manager Craig Miller. “We appreciate our partners’ time and efforts in helping RCSD secure this much-needed imported water supply,” said RCSD General Manager Brian R. Laddusaw. Effective partnership to deliver water The five districts developed a multi-agency agreement that successfully navigates the complexities of moving and treating water from northern California, including rules that prohibit state water contractors from selling water into each other’s service areas. The agreement outlines an efficient, cost-effective partnership that will enable RCSD to purchase imported water supplies. In short, RCSD will purchase imported water supplies from Western Water, which is an MWD member agency and a state water contractor. San Bernardino Valley is also a state water contractor that has pipeline connections to Metropolitan and WVWD. WVWD would treat the imported water supplies at its surface water treatment plant, the Oliver P. Roemer Water Filtration Facility, and deliver the treated water to RCSD. As shown in the map of proposed service connections below, RCSD will need to build a short pipeline to connect to WVWD’s system, which will then be able to deliver water through the existing infrastructure. Western Water’s agreement to purchase imported water from Metropolitan includes bandwidth to support RCSD, as Western Water currently purchases approximately 80,000 out of its 102,000 acre-feet allocation. The new five-party partnership agreement extends through 2035 with the option to renew. More information The Rubidoux Community Services District provides water, wastewater, and fire protection services to a community that has grown from 4,000 to over 35,000 over the past 50 plus years. Additional services include trash collection and disposal, street lighting, weed abatement, and fire prevention programs. Learn more: RCSD.org. Western Municipal Water District is one of the largest public agencies in Riverside County, providing water and wastewater (sewer) services to nearly 1 million people, both retail and wholesale customers who live, work, and play within 527 square miles in one of California’s most populous regions. Learn more: WesternWaterCA.gov.
