Underconstruction

CHINO BASIN WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

GROUNDWATER AND YOU

Here at the District we are frequently asked about our operations, and just how we conserve water. Part of the answer lies in the world of groundwater.

The Chino Basin Water Conservation District is one of a small number of water conservation districts in existence in the state of California. The districts vary, but are all charged with the same mission - to preserve the groundwater in the areas we serve.

Although many people are unaware that the water flowing from the sink, bathtub faucet, and garden hose is transported to them from many sources, anyone who has lived in southern California for long knows that feast or famine applies to our supply of water. Virtually all of our rainfall occurs in the winter months, with the summer being bone dry. The plants and animals native to this area have adapted over aeons to cope with this wet and dry cycle, but humans and their plants and animals are much happier with a dependable source of water. This need has created the huge infrastructure we know as the California aqueduct. The aqueduct brings us water from the snowmelt of the Sierra Nevada to which we call “imported water”. Although some of this water is treated and delivered directly to you, still more is used to artificially replenish our groundwater aquifer.

Groundwater is the water lying in the sands and sediments beneath our feet. Vast reserves of groundwater lie within the Chino Basin aquifer and this is a major source of our tap water. Cities and agencies pump this water to the surface via wells in order to supply our homes and businesses with water.

This District helps to preserve the Chino Basin aquifer by capturing and sinking rainwater and urban runoff that would otherwise have found its way straight to the ocean. These waters are directed into percolation basins, where the water sinks into the sediments and recharges the aquifer below. Additionally, local agencies utilize these percolation basins for the percolation, or recharge of imported water. Accordingly, the maintenance and acquisition of these basins is a large part of what the District does in its operations. Studies have indicated that annually the District saves about 4,200 acre feet of water, or in excess of $1 million per year! (approximate 2000 value). These savings ultimately translate into lower water bills for each and every one of us who live in the Chino Basin.