Water Conservation Field Services Program

Through an annual grant program, Reclamation funds projects in support of its Water Conservation Field Services Program throughout Southern California. This activity helps water user entities, local governments and others leverage their money and resources for water conservation projects through cost sharing. Four grants totaling $145,000 and two technical assistance programs totaling $200,000 were awarded to various southern California water entities in 2008:

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD)

EMWD was awarded $10,000 for the Landscape Information Database Program. The District is developing a database that will use updated and detailed imagery to measure landscaped areas. The database will be used to set outdoor water use budgets, and tie landscaped areas to metered water use information to help track the effectiveness of outdoor water efficiency programs. The projected savings for the program is about 400 acre-feet per year.

Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA)

IEUA was awarded $30,000 for the California Friendly Landscape Program, which offers rebates to residential customers for landscape renovations and audits. The program includes a workshop series for residents and landscape professionals. A manual will be developed to support the training component of this program. The estimated water savings for the program is approximately 25 acre-feet per year.

Long Beach Water Department (LBWD)

LBWD was awarded $80,000 for the Drought-Resistant Garden Project. The Department will develop a water conservation education and drought-resistant landscape technology demonstration garden at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The Drought-Resistant Demonstration Garden is the final phase of the “Our Watersheds: Pathway to the Pacific” exhibit, which also includes native landscaping, an environmental classroom, and a water conservation and reclamation exhibit - all designed to raise conservation awareness and demonstrate conservation techniques.

Los Angeles-San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council (LASGRWC)

LASGRWC was awarded $25,000 for the Green Alleyway Landscape Retrofit Program. The project will retrofit an alleyway using Best Management Practices (BMP’s) to demonstrate how Low Impact Development strategies can be applied to retrofit urban infrastructure to address runoff management, water conservation, pollution reduction and treatment, flooding, and habitat creation. The project will be monitored for water storage, water quality, reduction of runoff, water use reduction, and other benefits. This project will demonstrate one way of integrating various water management solutions into the urban setting and provide multiple benefits to future landscaping retrofits of alleyways. This demonstration is part of the Los Angeles Basin Water Augmentation Study, a research project led by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council in collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation and other public agencies. The purpose of the study is to explore the potential for increasing local water supplies and reducing urban runoff pollution by increasing infiltration of storm water runoff.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan)

Metropolitan was issued $100,000 in technical assistance for an economic analysis for the Water Use Efficiency Program. Reclamation and Metropolitan will research the cost effectiveness of water conservation and develop economic strategies for long-term planning. Metropolitan plans to revise its current conservation program to become more cost effective and strategically focused on multiple ways of achieving end-user conservation. Metropolitan seeks Reclamation assistance in analyzing alternatives for structuring a conservation program, using the complementary approaches of incentives, market transformation, local and State regulation and legislation, and product marketing.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan)

Metropolitan was issued $100,000 in technical assistance for an agricultural analysis for the Water Use Efficiency Program. The Bureau and Metrpolitan will promote the benefits of water conservation in Southern California’s agricultural industry. Metropolitan is developing a new water conservation incentive program to promote water efficiency in its agricultural sector and seeks the Bureau’s assistance as a technical consultant.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Projects

ARRA-funded water marketing and efficiency grants are part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Challenge Grant Program. Increasing the efficiency of existing water delivery systems across the West will help significantly increase future water supplies for farms, cities, people, and the environment. Two grants totaling over $6.7 million were awarded to southern California water entities in FY 2009.

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD)

LVMWD was awarded $1,799,474 for the Mulholland Highway Recycled Water Transmission Main that increases the availability of recycled water participants can purchase. The production of recycled water is the only local water supply within the service area and for every acre-foot of recycled water that is beneficially used an equivalent acre-foot of imported potable water is offset, conserving the potable water for other uses. LVMWD currently produces 10,000 acre-feet per year of recycled water and estimates production of 13,400 acre-feet per year by 2030. This increase of 2,300 acre-feet in recycled water availability for sales is only possible with increased transmission capacity by the completion of this transmission main.

Mohave Water Agency (MWA)

MWA was awarded $4,650,079 for the Oro Grande Wash Recharge Project. The Oro Grande Wash Recharge Ponds will provide replenishment of groundwater to the over drafted regional aquifer in the Upper Mojave River Basin. Through an existing siphon located along the State Water Project (SWP) near the City of Adelanto, a turnout system with meter, valve, and screening structures will be constructed. A 16,000-foot-long underground pipeline will be installed to move SWP water to the new groundwater recharge basin adjacent to the Oro Grande Wash. The project will include several recharge ponds, a control facility, and outlet structures on a ten-acre site. The recharged water will benefit over-drafted areas and provide supplemental water to wells located in the immediate area. An estimated 6,000 acre-feet of water will be recharged annually from this project.

CALFED Water Use Efficiency Program

CALFED Water Use Efficiency Grants fund agricultural and urban projects that focus on improving ecosystem health, water supply reliability, or water quality of the Bay-Delta, or help reduce Southern California's dependence on Bay-Delta water. Seven grants totaling more than $1.4 million were awarded to southern California water entities in 2009:

City of Corona

The City of Corona was awarded $125,000 for the Residential Weather-Based Irrigation Controller Program. The program will install these controllers for residential customers with more than 1,500 square feet of landscape and who have automatic irrigation systems. The program is anticipated to save 133 acre-feet per year.

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD)

LVMWD was awarded $79,722 for the Real-Time Detection/Response System for its Residential Over Irrigation and Leakage Program. The program will monitor hourly water use in large residential communities and provide customers general automatic voice and e-mail notices of leaks and over irrigation, and guidance on how to correct the issues. The District will monitor customer use and follow up with reminders to non-responsive residents. The expected savings for the program is 273 acre-feet and 704,340 kilowatt-hours per year.

Long Beach Water Department (LBWD)

LBWD was awarded $85,191 for the Recycled Hydrant Program. The Department is installing hydrants along the existing recycled water system at strategic locations so city street-sweepers, sewer-line cleaners, and island median irrigators can fill their trucks with recycled water rather than use potable supplies. The total project will include the installation of 36 hydrants. The expected water savings over the 20-year life of the program will be 300 acre-feet.

Long Beach Water Department (LBWD)

LBWD was awarded $88,000 for the Weather Based Irrigation Controller Program. The Department will install 50 controllers over a 24-month period to promote water efficient irrigation techniques. Long Beach’s goal is to reduce irrigation water use by installing water conserving devices that reduce urban run-off and the amount of water used on landscape. This project will lead to an estimated savings of 75 acre-feet of water per year, totaling a savings of 1,125 acre feet for the 15-year life of the project, with the potential of increasing every year until non-weather based controllers are no longer in use.

Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC)

MWDOC was awarded $371,650 for the Industrial Process Water Use Program – Phase II. The District has developed a program to help industrial businesses reduce their water use and associated wastewater flows. The program targets food processing, textile manufacturing, metal plating, and electronics manufacturing. The program offers two levels of engineering surveys: the Focus Survey that identifies major water uses and potential water savings measures, and the more detailed Comprehensive Survey for industrial water customers that have a significant water savings potential identified in the Focus Survey and express a strong interest in implementing water saving recommendations. Phase II will continue this effort. The program is expected to achieve 490 acre-feet per year of water savings.

Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC)

MWDOC was awarded $415,925 for the Water Smart Hotel Expansion Program that targets water savings in the hotel/motel industry in Orange County. This project will continue efforts of the existing program (begun in 2008) to achieve an additional water savings of 565 acre-feet per year by conducting 30 additional water surveys, and offering additional rebate incentives and follow-up support to implement changes.

Rancho California Water District

RCWD was awarded $260,440 for the Residential One-Stop Installation Program. The program will target the top 500 high water use residential customers in the service area, and offer customers an on-site evaluation to identify indoor and outdoor sources of water waste. The District will also educate participating customers on water conservation measures and will install water saving devices, including low flow showerheads, high efficiency toilets, rotating nozzles, and weather-based irrigation controllers.

Need More Information?

If you have any water resources questions, need technical assistance, or want to learn more about water conservation partnerships, contact Deb Whitney, Water Conservation Coordinator, at dwhitney@usbr.gov or by phone at: (951) 695-5310.