Inland Empire Utilities Agency Chino Basin Program

The Chino Basin Program, led by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, is a 25-year conjunctive use initiative designed to enhance local water sustainability through advanced water purification and groundwater storage, while enabling state-level environmental benefits via water exchanges. Funded with $269 million in conditional Proposition 1 Water Storage Investment Program funding awarded in August 2025, the project will construct and operate an Advanced Water Purification Facility to treat and store up to 15,000 acre-feet per year of new water supply. This purified water will be injected into the adjudicated Chino Basin groundwater system, allowing IEUA to exchange an equivalent volume of imported State Water Project water for retention in Lake Oroville. That retained water will be released as strategic pulse flows into the Feather River during hydrologically dry years, enhancing habitat conditions for native salmonids and other fish species without disrupting other SWP operations. The exchange will be coordinated through formal agreements with the California Department of Water Resources, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Beyond the initial 25-year exchange commitment, the infrastructure will remain operational to support long-term local water needs, increasing the availability of recycled water and improving groundwater management through new injection and extraction wells, conveyance systems, and infrastructure interconnections that also provide redundancy for future maintenance and upgrades. The project’s environmental compliance is grounded in the 2022 Chino Basin Final Environmental Impact Report and the 2024 Supplemental Environmental Impact Report on Pulse Flows prepared by DWR and ICF/ESA, which was incorporated by reference and analyzed across a 575-mile corridor from Lake Oroville to Southern California, confirming no new construction is needed beyond what was already evaluated. All project activities are conducted under CEQA, with regulatory approvals and public documentation filed with the State Clearinghouse and county offices. The agency contact for the program is Elizabeth Hurst, Chino Basin Program Manager, and all funding sources are tied to state grants and fees, with no federal procurement clauses, contracting officers, or formal FAR-based acquisition structures referenced.