Aquaterra Water Bank

The Aquaterra Water Bank project is a large-scale groundwater storage and management initiative located on approximately 4,600 acres in Fresno County, California, under the oversight of the McMullin Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency. The project involves constructing conveyance infrastructure including 63.5 miles of canals, 19 pump stations, 88 recovery wells, and 3,480 acres of recharge basins to store water diverted from San Luis Reservoir or O'Neill Forebay via the Mendota Pool. Water is injected into the aquifer during a five-month recharge period with an annual capacity of up to 208,000 acre-feet and can be extracted during a five-month recovery period with a maximum annual withdrawal of 148,000 acre-feet. The facility is designed to hold up to 800,000 acre-feet in total storage, with at least 10 percent of banked water permanently retained to sustain aquifer levels. Operations are subject to strict environmental compliance under CEQA, requiring adherence to water quality standards for parameters such as TDS, selenium, boron, arsenic, and molybdenum during recovery and delivery to Exchange Contractors at canal intakes downstream of the Mendota Pool. All equipment used in construction and operation must meet Tier 4 Interim or better emissions standards, and a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan must be implemented and maintained. The project site is situated near Raisin City with defined geographic coordinates and is subject to monitoring and inspection by regulatory bodies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and regional water boards. The project relies on environmental assessments to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations, with impacts evaluated across air quality, biological resources, hydrology, and cultural resources using qualitative ratings and quantitative risk models. Although no formal procurement contract terms, pricing, payment instructions, or evaluation factors are documented in the provided materials, performance is tied to adherence to approved mitigation measures, water quality thresholds, and operational protocols established in the Mendota Pool Group’s 20-Year Exchange Program. Inspection occurs at delivery points downstream of Mendota Pool, with responsibility shared between MAGSA for overall compliance and Exchange Contractors for verifying received water quality. There is no identified contract value, delivery schedule with specific dates, or federal acquisition clauses such as those found in FAR, nor are there any stated requirements for UEI/CAGE codes, socioeconomic certifications, or invoicing systems like WAW