New partnership enhances water resilience for SoCal region
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Irvine Ranch Water District increase water supply reliability through mutually beneficial collaboration.
California’s jarring shifts between extreme drought and heavy rains have led many water agencies across the state to explore innovative approaches to water storage. The newest example is a Water Storage and Exchange Program partnership between Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) and Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD).
Through the partnership, LVMWD will have access to a portion of the 50,000 acre-feet of water stored in the IRWD Water Bank for use during an emergency.
The IRWD Water Bank captures and stores water in wet years and times of surplus for use during extreme shortages. Like an emergency savings account for water, LVMWD can withdrawal up to 850 acre-feet of water annually in times of declared emergency restrictions — enough to serve 1,400 average-sized families for up to three years. Roughly half of the 6,000 acre-feet of stored water included in the agreement is available for use by LVMWD and half for IRWD.
“Improving resiliency is the most effective way to prepare for climate-driven impacts on our water supply. This is another important piece of the pie in our overall water supply diversification strategy,” said LVMWD Board President Andy Coradeschi. “Our partnership with IRWD strengthens our ability to prepare for those impacts, is a key component of ensuring continued water reliability for our ratepayers and provides a new tool for responding to threats to our water supply. Regional collaboration is essential for long-term sustainability.”
LVMWD will bear the costs for storage, recovery and delivery of the water supply, and IRWD will provide the storage capacity through its water banking program.
The partnership, approved in January by the LVMWD and IRWD boards of directors, will remain in place for up to 10 years, with opportunities for extension if agreements are renewed.
IRWD’s water banking program, which includes more than 500 acres of groundwater recharge ponds, provides much-needed wet-year storage underground so the water is available to customers and partner agencies in times of water shortage or emergencies.
“California’s groundwater basins can store up to 20 times more water than surface water reservoirs, which is why water agencies up and down the state are working together to establish water banking programs like ours,” IRWD General Manager Paul Cook said. “Water banking allows agencies to share the costs of building and managing these storage basins for long-term sustainability and resilience.”
LVMWD is conducting a Water Supply Diversification Study to determine whether to invest even more into water banking programs, as well as pursuing other potential sources of supply to further bolster resiliency.
LVMWD and IRWD remind their customers that while the agreement provides an added water resource in times of extreme shortage, customers should continue to be mindful of their water use at all times. Conservation must continue to be a California way of life.
