The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) Board of Directors today voted unanimously to support the California WaterFix, a project that will modernize and upgrade a vital section of the state’s aging water infrastructure and delivery system and increase reliability of imported water to the Coachella Valley.
More than 30 percent of Southern California’s water supply comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Melted snow from these mountains provides the backbone water supply – along with good jobs and quality of life – for millions of people. In the Coachella Valley, this water is used for groundwater replenishment, helping protect the CVWD’s sole source of drinking water.
“California WaterFix is not only critical to ensure the safety, reliability and efficiency of our state’s water supply, but it’s critical to the long-term sustainability of the Coachella Valley’s groundwater supply,” said Board President John Powell.
The resolution is non-binding as there are several unanswered questions about the project’s cost and financing. CVWD’s preliminary analysis estimates the district’s future cost will be between $15 and $24 million annually for 40 years. As the planning progresses and more details are confirmed, a more accurate cost estimate will be developed, including the impact to customers.
“As more information becomes available, we will have more public meetings to discuss this important issue with the community,” Powell said.
While Southern Californians have the right to a clean, reliable and affordable water supply, the delivery system moving water to our region is old, vulnerable and in desperate need of improvement. CA WaterFix would address this by constructing two state-of-the-art tunnels to move water supplies underneath the fragile Delta ecosystem rather than through it.
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Southern California voters support the project, according to results released from a recent public opinion survey commissioned by the Southern California Water Committee (SCWC).
To learn more about CA WaterFix, visit www.socalwater.org/WaterNext, a SCWC website linked to an education and outreach program in support of CA WaterFix.
The Coachella Valley Water District is a public agency governed by a five-member board of directors. The district provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management and water conservation. It serves approximately 109,000 residential and business customers across 1,000 square miles, located primarily in Riverside County, but also in portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.
