Underconstruction

CHINO BASIN WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

CONSERVING WATER THROUGH RECHARGE

Near the turn of the century, when agriculture and urbanization of the area first began, ground water withdrawal (use) essentially matched naturally occurring recharge. Later, with the advent of more intensive urbanization, the need for other sources of water supply soon became apparent and measures to protect dwindling local ground water resources were developed though the actions of public agencies such as the Chino Basin Water Conservation District (“CBWCD”).

Currently local water supplies are either piped (imported) in from the Northern Sierras or are pumped from local ground water reserves. Since imported water supplies have historically been more costly than ground water, much of the local water supply continues to be centered on the use of ground water as the primary water source.

In order to replenish the ground water basin, and to offset the economic burden of costly imported water supplies, alternative sources of good quality water supply were developed. These other sources include the reuse of water through the processes of reclamation and artificial recharge.

Reclamation activities involves the use of reclaimed water (water which has been used before but cleaned and treated so as to make it useable again) for purposes such as irrigation, industrial garden strip watering, and direct percolation into the ground via recharge basins. Typically local recharged water is derived by capturing and storing storm water thereby enabling it to seep into the ground and after natural cleansing, the water becomes a portion of available local ground water supplies. Through the efforts of the CBWCD, the Chino Ground Water Basin is artificially recharged with an annual average of approximately 4,200 acre-feet of storm water.