News and Public Information Archive

6/10/2008 - METROPOLITAN BOARD DECLARES WATER SUPPLY ALERT THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO HELP SUSTAIN RESERVES In wake of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s drought proclamation, MWD board asks local water agencies, retailers to adopt, enforce water-saving ordinances, restrictions.

5/12/2008 - MWD Proposed Implementation of Extraordinary Conservation Measures

5/01/2008 Cucamonga Valley Water District Ecourages Literacy through Water-Related Books

Rancho Cucamonga, CA – The Cucamonga Valley Water District (CVWD) is committed to environmental education in all of its student programs. They recently expanded that commitment by partnering with the local libraries to donate children’s water themed books to the Paul A. Biane and Archibald Libraries in the City of Rancho Cucamonga. The goal of this partnership is to promote student literacy and an interest in science through the topics of water and the environment, encouraging students to become involved in community efforts to protect water and environmental habitats in their neighborhoods.

“The impact these books will make cannot be measured simply by the number of readers, but more accurately by the depth of change and lasting influence in our community”, commented James V. Curatalo, Jr., President of the Cucamonga Valley Water District Board of Directors. “It is so important for our young people to learn about the environment, and this program is one way to encourage a love of reading as well as knowledge about our vital natural resources.”

During the 2008-2009 school year, CVWD will expand this partnership with the libraries through a student Water Literacy Program. Information regarding this new program will be released in September 2008. For more information, about the Cucamonga Valley Water District, please visit www.cvwdwater.com or call (909) 987-2591.

4/24/2008 Cucamonga Valley Water District Receives Excellence in Communication Award

Rancho Cucamonga, CA – The Cucamonga Valley Water District (CVWD) received the Excellence in Communications Award from the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO). On April 17, 2008, at CAPIO’s annual conference in South Lake Tahoe, the CVWD received Honorable Mention in the category of Writing for an article written in the California Special Districts Association magazine. Entitled Kids Environmental Festival 101 the article outlined how organizations can easily implement a student environmental day. From activity development to identifying sponsors and volunteers, the CVWD provided other organizations with every detail involved in developing a successful environmental education event.  

The Kids Environmental Festival is a one-day event where local students spend the day participating in activities that teach them about water and environmental issues.   

Students participate in six activities that engage them in hands-on learning, from drought resistant plants to building an edible aquifer.

            “It is an honor to be recognized by CAPIO for the article the District wrote in the California Special District’s magazine,” stated Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra, Assistant General Manager of External Affairs. “The article was written to provide other organizations with an outline for planning a successful event, and being recognized by CAPIO is encouragement that these types of articles are needed and are useful to other organizations.” 

The CAPIO Awards, a statewide competition for best communications programs, received a record number of entries this year with over 149 applications of which forty-eight finalists in twelve categories received top honors.

            CAPIO was founded in 1971 by a group of 10 public information practitioners in Orange and Los Angeles counties. CAPIO affiliated with the League of California Cities in 1991 and is headquartered in Sacramento. Today, more than 250 members strong, CAPIO owes much to the vision of its founders, who recognized the value of well-trained and professional communicators in serving the public's interest, and realized the importance of providing continuing professional growth opportunities and support for both veteran and new practitioners.

For more information, about the Cucamonga Valley Water District and to read the Kids Environmental Festival 101, please visit www.cvwdwater.com or call (909) 987-2591.

3/11/2008 Court Approves Peace II Agreement - Landmark Plan

In an historic action, Superior Court Judge J. Michael Gunn issued an order approving the provisions of an agreement that paves the way for water reliability in the Chino Basin.  With the quick swipe of a pen Judge Gunn approved the Peace II Agreement and ended over three years of negotiations and study that will ensure the use of recycled water within the basin and creates storage space for regional water reliability. 

The new agreement recognizes that Hydraulic Control is an essential goal of the Watermaster and critical to the implementation of the Basin Plan for the Chino Basin.  To accomplish this, Watermaster parties will pump 400,000 acre feet of water from the southern end of the basin creating a capture zone that prevents any measurable amount of low quality water from escaping into Prado Reservoir and eventually making its way into the Orange County aquifer.   This controlled overdraft is cornerstone to the plan approved by the court. 

By creating Hydraulic Control, the region will be allowed the continued use of recycled water for direct use on parks, golf courses and other non-potable demands, and also will be allowed the regulated use of recycled water for recharge into the Chino Ground Water Basin.  “This is monumental and will help insulate the Chino Basin from shortages on the state water project and drought,” said Watermaster CEO Ken Manning.  But the program does not come without a cost. 

Parties within the basin must build and operate Desalter facilities that will pump over 40,000 acre feet of water from the southern end of the basin annually.  “At a cost of over one hundred million dollars, the parties are investing in the future,” Mr. Manning commented.  Another major cost that will be incurred by the parties will be the development of additional recharge facilities throughout the basin.  These facilities will allow the Watermaster to percolate water back into the ground over and above the amount that is recharged naturally. This water will then be pumped by the parties and put to use.  

In the year 2030, or at the date that most of the basin is developed, the amount that needs to be recharged could be in excess of over 140,000 acre feet.  The amount that parties will pay to create this recharge capacity is staggering.  The final bill could exceed five hundred million dollars.  The final cost will be determined based upon the outcome of a new report that will be done over the next year to assess the actual amount of recharge capacity that will be required.  Many factors will help determine the amount including water conservation and water reliability from the state water project. 

The agreement will also help the Watermaster deal with the transfer of Agricultural rights to water retailers, subsidence management, and the elimination of stranded water in the basin.  Mr. Manning concluded by saying, “It’s good to get the negotiations behind us and start the implementation stages of the plan.”

2/6/08-2008 Watermaster Board members appointed
Jim Curatolo joins the Chino Basin Watermaster Board of Directors.

Jim Curatolo Jr., was welcomed to the Watermaster Board by CEO Ken Manning at the board meeting on January 24, 2008.  Jim was appointed by the Cucamonga Valley Water District to represent Appropriators.  The position is one of three rotating seats that represents those agencies within the basin that serve water to customers.  Jim will serve as the Appropriative Pool representative for two years.  Jim is currently serving as President of the Board for the Cucamonga Valley Water District.  Jim’s works full time for the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District as a Battalion Chief.

Ken Willis appointed Board Chairman for a second term

Ken Willis ended his first two years representing West End Water Company on the Board of the Chino Basin Watermaster in December, but was reappointed by the City of Upland for another two years starting in January.  During his first two years Ken served as Chairman of the Board.  During that period the Chino Basin negotiated and began to implement the historic agreement that will change the way water is managed in the Chino Basin for decades.  Ken has served on the Upland City council since 2000.   He is also a member of the West End Solid Waste JPA, San Antonio Water Company, and West End Water Company.  

  Press Release:

“The Chino Groundwater Basin is one of the largest managed underground aquifers in the state of California, and our ability to manage it properly is the legacy that we leave the next generation,” said Chino Basin Watermaster’s Board Chairman Ken Willis.  He then added that “the recent drought, coupled with limits on the amount of water being pumped from the Sacramento Delta, have the potential of propelling California into a severe water crisis. Fortunately for our region, strategies implemented over the last few years such as conservation, the use of recycled water and increased capture of storm flows assist us in our ability to bridge the gap

   Acting as an arm of the Superior Court, the Chino Basin Watermaster is a consensus-based organization facilitating development and utilization of the vast underground aquifer that underlies the Chino Basin. The Watermaster consists of various entities pumping water from the Basin including cities, water districts, water companies, agriculture, commercial enterprises and other private concerns.

   The Watermaster is progressively and actively implementing the Basin’s Optimum Basin Management Plan which includes extensive monitoring, extensive development of recharge facilities, storage and recovery projects, managing salt loads, developing new yield such as recycled and stormwater recharge and continuing to work with other agencies and entities to enhance this significant natural resource.

   The governing structure of the Chino Basin Watermaster is inclusive of three distinctly different pumping entities within the basin. The Agricultural Pool represents the dairymen, farmers and the state of California within the agency. The business and industry interests are represented by the Non-Agricultural Pool. The retail agencies that supply water to vast majority of the people within the basin are represented through the Appropriative Pool. Members of each pool meet monthly to discuss business concerns and to get briefed on the status of projects. The decision and recommendations of the pool meetings are submitted to the Advisory Committee for further discussion and then forwarded to the Board for final approval, provided that all business concerns are in compliance with the “Judgment, Rules and Regulations and the Peace Agreement.”

  “Our challenge over the next decade is to bring together the collective wisdom and knowledge of all these parties to provide direction and policy that outlasts us all,” Mr. Willis concluded.

2/6/2008 - Cucamonga Valley Water District Educates Community About State Water Issues

1/24/08 - Cucamonga Valley Water District Appoints New Board Member

1/9/2008 - Cucamonga Valley Water District joins Statewide Campaign to Educate the Public about Water Issues

1/7/2008 - Chino Basin Water Conservation District Hires Laurence Budd to Administer Landscape Evaluation and Audit Program to Save Water

Current PA-7 Water Level (Live Data!)

11/29/07 - November 2007 Phase ll Chino Basin Facilities Improvement Program Report

11/21/07- Upland Basin Expansion, Phase 2 This summer, the City of Upland initiated the 2nd Phase of construction of the Upland Basin, utilizing a $5 million Prop 40 Grant from the CA Department of Water Resources. The improvements under construction include a jurisdictional berm up to 20 feet maximum height, an emergency spillway and midlevel outlet into the San Antonio Channel, an increase of basin volume to 1220 AF, and proper recycling/disposal of construction debris buried on the site. In prior years, the Upland Basin was one of the best basins in Chino Basin for recharging both storm and imported water – the improvements being undertaken will greatly expand its storage capacity and the surface area available to recharge supplemental water.

10/11/07- CVWD Announces the 2nd Annual Landscape Recognition Program

10/10/07- The Metropolitan Water District announced Monday that it would cut shipments to Southern California agriculture by 30% and that customers would eventually pay higher rates. The complete article

09/30/07- Monte Vista Water District has launched its "Watch the Water" water conservation campaign

9/25/07- Cucamonga Valley Water District Calls on Customers to Conserve-Full Story

Several frequently requested Chino Basin maps, in PDF format, can now be displayed by selecting "Reports-Engineering-Maps" on the left.

Current PA-7 Water Level (Live Data!)