CVWD Replenishment Facilities Curtailment Program

The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) Replenishment Facilities Curtailment Program consists of CVWD entering an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), acting through the Department of Interior (DOI), for conservation of Colorado River water through replenishment curtailment in calendar years (CYs) 2027 and 2028; conserve water of up to 35,000 acre-ft/year (af/yr) at a fixed price of $325/af. This program is temporary and an extension of the Thomas E. Levy (Levy) Facility replenishment curtailment program established in 2022. The temporary and compensated Colorado River water conservation proposals cover the two calendar years of 2027 and 2028. CVWD operates the Thomas E. Levy Groundwater Replenishment Facility, Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Facility, Mission Creek Groundwater Replenishment Facility, and Palm Desert Groundwater Replenishment Facility, which are key to groundwater management in the Coachella Valley. The Levy Facility benefits the East Whitewater River Subbasin Area of Benefit (East AOB) and has averaged annual recharge of over 37 taf in recent years. Although delivering water to the recharge facilities is important for CVWD’s groundwater management, it was decided that temporarily suspending delivery to the Levy Facility would allow CVWD to achieve the goal of contributing materially to the River with minimal impacts to the region. Under the Agreement, CVWD will achieve the up to 35,000 af/yr of conservation by limiting the maximum groundwater replenishment at the CVWD replenishment facilities in the Coachella Valley while enrolled in the Lower Colorado Conservation program. The Replenishment Facilities Curtailment Program shall conserve a total of up to 70,000 af of Colorado River water for the two-year term of the agreement. This program will not result in expansion of use of CVWD’s existing irrigation distribution system or its irrigation drainage system. Accordingly, the proposed program involves operation and implementation of CVWD’s existing irrigation distribution facilities and irrigation drainage for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The proposed action of using conserved water from the proposed Conservation Program to assist in managing reservoir elevations is within the scope of analysis of actions that were previously analyzed in that EIS and in the SEIS currently underway. Thus, to the extent the proposed actions involve or may affect areas outside of California, such as at Lake Mead or on the portions of the Colorado River in Nevada or Arizona, they are exempt from CEQA under a Statutory Exemption State CEQA Guidelines Section 15277. The proposed action of adopting and extending the Coachella Valley Water District Replenishment Facilities Curtailment Program for 2027 and 2028 is exempt under the provisions of State CEQA Guidelines.