Agencies Partner to Improve Water Reliability for 18,000 Residents by San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency Jan 13, 2025 Member Submitted News BEAUMONT – The County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project, a multi-agency effort led by San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA), San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (SBVMWD) and South Mesa Water Company (SMWC), received $3.1 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The project will stabilize water storage in the Yucaipa Subbasin, making reliable water accessible to 18,000 people. “Through critical regional collaboration, the County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project works to secure sustainable groundwater conditions for generations,” SGPWA Board President Mickey Valdivia said. “This project is a testament to the power of partnership.” Prolonged drought conditions over the past decade have depleted groundwater levels in the Yucaipa Subbasin. In response, SGPWA, SBVMWD and SMWC have partnered to build a turnout on Bryant Street and County Line Road that will facilitate the movement of clean drinking water to a future facility in Calimesa. This facility will handle up to 479 million gallons per year. It also reuses an existing abandoned pipeline, which will connect to California’s State Water Project (SWP) delivery system. All three agencies will be able to import and store water through the project pipelines. The project enables more flexibility for SGPWA during droughts, as wet year storage can increase the sustainable yield of the Yucaipa Subbasin. Thanks to the project, SGPWA will be able to direct imported supplies to other communities within their service area including Beaumont, Banning, Cherry Valley and the Banning Bench. SBVMWD will be responsible for the turnout portion of the project. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support a vital effort toward water resilience in our community,” SBVMWD Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Heather Dyer said. “Our residents, including many living in disadvantaged communities, will benefit from reliable water and security in the face of drought.” SMWC previously received $10.2 million from the State Water Resources Control Board to replace and construct 26,000 feet of local water lines. This funding impacted the County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project by allowing SMWC to repurpose existing water mains for the multi-agency effort. “These efforts have brought imported water to SMWC’s service area for the first time. More than that, this work brings agencies together for an essential cause: our community’s precious water supply. We are proud to support it,” SMWC General Manager David Armstrong said. The County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project costs $6.2 million in total, with the ARPA funding covering half. Fifth District Riverside County Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez was instrumental in securing the ARPA support. “Access to safe and clean drinking water is a fundamental human right that should not be determined by wealth, status, or location,” General Manager Lance Eckhart said. “We are grateful Supervisor Gutierrez sees the need to invest in projects that diversify and improve the resilience of our water supply to better serve our communities, especially the disadvantaged areas.” Construction on the project is expected to start in the summer of 2025, with the project slated for completion by the end of 2026. Learn more at www.sgpwa.com. ### About San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency Formed in 1961, SGPWA is a State Water Contractor that serves a 225-square-mile area of western Riverside County. The service area includes the cities of Calimesa, Beaumont, and Banning, and the communities of Cherry Valley, Cabazon, and the Banning Bench. In addition to importing State Water Project (SWP) water from Northern California to augment local groundwater sources, the Agency builds local system infrastructure, participates in water transfers, partners in statewide water projects and collaborates on regional water reliability and conservation efforts.