Why the California WaterFix is Important to You

The California WaterFix: Reliable, Clean Water for All Californians

The California WaterFix is a critical investment to help protect and enhance water supply reliability from the state’s single largest water supply – the Sierra snowpack in Northern California.

Western Municipal Water District and a large portion of Inland Empire water providers depend on reliable supplies of imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River as new local supplies and more conservation help meet the needs of growth.

The reliability of the Northern California Water supply for our region and all of Southern California is at risk due to pumping restrictions, challenging environmental conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and an aging water system that was not designed to meet today’s challenges.

State and federal agencies want to modernize this system through a project known as the California WaterFix that has both water delivery and ecosystem benefits. In addition, Western, as well as many water agencies in the region and state, support this project.

FINDING UPDATE

On July 10, 2018, Metropolitan Water District approved $10.8B in funding for the California WaterFix. Southern Californians are one step closer to having a more modern and reliable water delivery system. Metropolitan’s board agreed to cover $10.8B of the $16.7B project, this decision is arguably the most impactful our region will see for decades. The funding will accelerate the process to update California’s outdated water system.

Five Potential Benefits to the Inland Empire from the California WaterFix:

Preserving Quality of Life and the Economic Vitality of the Region – The majority of our imported supplies come solely from Northern California. Whether its excellent schools, thriving businesses or regional parks and recreation programs, it all starts with a supply of safe, reliable, high-quality water.
Protecting our Region’s Largest Water Supply – Many water providers in our region have diversified their portfolios of imported and local water supplies. The California WaterFix maintains access to the available Northern California supply, which is less than the cost of developing new local supplies.
Surviving Droughts – The water stored in the Inland Empire for drought and emergency needs comes either from Northern California or the Colorado River.
Maintaining High Quality Water – A buildup of salt in our region’s groundwater basins requires the discharge of 90,000 tons of salt every year in a brine line to the Pacific Ocean. Importing low-salt water from Northern California maintains drinking water quality and keeps groundwater quality in balance.
Capturing Big Storms – California WaterFix seeks to improve the ability to reliably capture some of the state’s major storm events and store it locally in reservoirs and groundwater basins for our region to access in years of drought.

Why is this project needed and important?

The CA WaterFix is a critical investment to help protect and enhance water supply reliability from the state’s single largest water supply, the Sierra snowpack. New tunnels could safely transport water supplies if an earthquake or other disaster collapses the 50-year old Delta levee system. The tunnels could also make it possible to capture and store more water when it’s available. It’s an economically smart solution to our state’s water problem.

For more information

Interested in learning more? Reserve a date for one of knowledgeable water representatives to come speak to your community group about the CA WaterFix. Email Michelle Adams, madams@wmwd.com, to set up your community chat.

Check out the following web links for more information on the CA WaterFix.