MUNI/WESTERN EXHIBIT 10-5 · Volatile Organic Compound. WMI. Watershed Management Initiative. WMWD....

MUNI/WESTERN EXHIBIT 10-5

SANTA ANA INTEGRATED WATERSHED PLAN 2005 UPDATE, AN INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER

MANAGEMENT PLAN, SANTA ANA WATERSHED PROJECT AUTHORITY, PART 1

Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan2005 UpdateAn Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

SANTA ANA WATERSHEDPROJECT AUTHORITY

June 2005

smacaulay

Text Box

Muni/Western Ex. 10-5

Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan

2005 Update

An Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

Prepared by:

Planning Department

Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority

11615 Sterling Avenue, Riverside, CA

(951) 354-4220

June 2005

Table of Contents

List of Tables .................................................................................................................................................iv

List of Figures ...............................................................................................................................................iv

Acronyms........................................................................................................................................................v

Preface ..........................................................................................................................................................vii

I. SAWPA’s Integrated Watershed Plan ........................................................................................................1

A. Background .........................................................................................................................................1

SAWPA...................................................................................................................................................1

SAWPA Member Agencies ...................................................................................................................1

B. Planning Process..................................................................................................................................5

Vision ...................................................................................................................................................5

Collaboration ......................................................................................................................................7

State and Federal Involvement .....................................................................................................8

Santa Ana River Watershed Partnerships ....................................................................................8

Regional Watershed Partnerships ..............................................................................................10

Local and Regional Plans and Policies .......................................................................................14

Innovation .........................................................................................................................................16

Integration..........................................................................................................................................16

Plan Performance and Management..........................................................................................18

Regional Plan Performance and Management Measures.........................................................19

Funding ..............................................................................................................................................21

Continuing Challenges......................................................................................................................23

II. Resources of the Santa Ana Watershed ...............................................................................................25

A. Physical Setting, Hydrology, and Geomorphology .........................................................................25

Geologic and Hydrologic Features of the Watershed ...............................................................27

Climate .........................................................................................................................................30

Land Use .......................................................................................................................................30

B. Biological Resources .........................................................................................................................30

Habitat Modification ...................................................................................................................30

Special Status Species .................................................................................................................33

Current Aquatic Resources .........................................................................................................35

Fishes ........................................................................................................................................35

Amphibians...............................................................................................................................35

Reptiles .....................................................................................................................................35

Birds ..........................................................................................................................................36

Factors Affecting Aquatic Resources ..........................................................................................36

Introduced Species ..................................................................................................................36

Water Pollution ........................................................................................................................37

Exploitation ..............................................................................................................................37

(continued)

Table of Contents | i

2005 Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan

Table of Contents (cont.)

C. Open Space and Recreation .............................................................................................................37

Parkland Ratios ............................................................................................................................37

Public Access ................................................................................................................................38

Forest Land....................................................................................................................................38

Santa Ana River Trail ...................................................................................................................38

Challenges and Opportunities ...................................................................................................40

D. Water Supply .....................................................................................................................................41

Groundwater ................................................................................................................................41

Imported Water ............................................................................................................................41

Surface Water ...............................................................................................................................42

Recycled Water .............................................................................................................................42

Demand Projections ....................................................................................................................43

E. Water Quality .....................................................................................................................................43

Constituents of Concern .............................................................................................................47

TDS ...........................................................................................................................................47

Nitrates .....................................................................................................................................48

Pathogens ................................................................................................................................49

Arsenic .....................................................................................................................................49

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) ......................................................................................49

Perchlorate ...............................................................................................................................50

MTBE ........................................................................................................................................50

Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Pollutants (PPCP) ........................................................50

F. Flood Control ....................................................................................................................................51

G. Watershed Demographics and Growth Pressure Impacts .............................................................52

Growth Pressures .........................................................................................................................52

Population Projections ................................................................................................................53

Disadvantaged Communities .....................................................................................................57

III. Integrated Regional Water Management Strategies ........................................................................61

A Introduction ......................................................................................................................................61

B. Water Storage .....................................................................................................................................61

C. Water Quality Improvements ..........................................................................................................82

D. Water Recycling ................................................................................................................................83

E. Flood Protection ..............................................................................................................................100

F. Wetlands, Environment and Habitat ............................................................................................109

G. Recreation and Conservation ........................................................................................................113

IV. Recommended Regional Implementation Plan .............................................................................127

A. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................127

B. Regional Priorities ..........................................................................................................................127

C. Impacts and Benefits of Tier 1 Priority Projects ...........................................................................140

D. Institutional Structure ....................................................................................................................163

E. Schedule ..........................................................................................................................................164

F. Monitoring Performance ...............................................................................................................164

G. Next Steps ........................................................................................................................................167

(continued)Table of Contents | ii


Table of Contents (cont.)

References ..........................................................................................................................................................169

Appendix A: Volume I Water Resources Component,

2002 Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan (on CD) ..................................................................................171

Appendix B: Volume II Environmental and Wetlands Component,

2002 Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan (on CD) ..................................................................................172

Appendix C: Volume III Upper Santa Ana Regional Interceptor (SARI)

Planning Component, 2002 Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan (on CD)............................................173

Appendix D: Old, Grand Prix and Padua Fires Burn Impacts to Water Systems and

Resources Report, SAWPA October 2003 (on CD) ......................................................................................174

Appendix E: Santa Ana River Projected Flow Impacts Report, SAWPA Commission Report,

March 2004 (on CD) ......................................................................................................................................175

Appendix F: Santa Ana River Watershed Regional Perchlorate Investigative Report,

SAWPA Commission Report, November 2004 (on CD) ..............................................................................176

Appendix G: Water and Santa Ana River Watershed Economy, Santa Ana Watershed Coalition.

Presentation: April 2005 (on CD)..................................................................................................................177

Appendix H: Santa Ana River Watershed Regional Groundwater Management Plan,

SAWPA 2005 (on CD) ....................................................................................................................................178

Appendix I: Urban Water Management Plan, SAWPA 2005 (on CD) ..............................................................179

Appendix J: List of Organizations Solicited by SAWPA to Participate in IWP................................................180

Appendix K: SAWPA Proposition 50 On-Line Project Proposal Application ................................................183

Table of Contents | iii


List of Tables and Figures | iv


List of TablesTable 1-1 SCIWP Projects, Benefits and Administrative Costs ................................................23

Table 2-1 Santa Ana River Watershed: Disadvantaged Communities......................................58

Table 3-1 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Water Storage Projects ................................67

Table 3-2 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed WQ Improvement Projects ........................87

Table 3-3 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Water Recycling Projects ............................102

Table 3-4 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Flood Protection Projects ..........................111

Table 3-5 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Wetlands & Habitat Projects ......................116

Table 3-6 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Recreation & Conservation Projects ..........125

Table 4-1 Watershed Management Elements ............................................................................130

Table 4-2 Santa Ana River Watershed: Tier 1 Proposed Project Mix ........................................134

Table 4-3 Santa Ana River Watershed: SAWPA Project Proposal Rankings ..............................163

List of FiguresFigure 1-1 SAWPA Member Service Areas ....................................................................................3

Figure 1-2 SAWPA’s 2002 Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan (SAIWP) ................................4

Figure 1-3 Santa Ana River Watershed Water Agency Service Areas ..........................................6

Figure 1-4 SCIWP Projects Funded through Proposition 13 ....................................................22

Figure 2-1 Santa Ana River Watershed: Physical Characteristics ..............................................26

Figure 2-2 Channel and Floodplain Characteristics ..................................................................27

Figure 2-3 Santa Ana River Watershed: Groundwater Basins ....................................................29

Figure 2-4 Santa Ana River Watershed: Rainfall ..........................................................................31

Figure 2-5 Santa Ana River Watershed: Land Use........................................................................32

Figure 2-6 Santa Ana River Watershed: Critical Habitat ............................................................34

Figure 2-7 Santa Ana River Watershed: Open Space and Recreational areas............................39

Figure 2-8 Water Supply Sources ..................................................................................................42

Figure 2-9 Water Demand..............................................................................................................44

Figure 2-10 Santa Ana River Watershed: Impaired Waterbodies..................................................45

Figure 2-11 Santa Ana River Watershed: Population Density ......................................................46

Figure 2-12 Santa Ana River Watershed: Population Projection ..................................................54

Figure 2-13 Santa Ana River Watershed: Population Projection by County................................55

Figure 2-14 Santa Ana River Watershed: Household Income ......................................................56

Figure 2-15 Santa Ana River Watershed: Disadvantaged Communities......................................57

Figure 2-16: Santa Ana Watershed Projected Population Distribution by County......................58

Figure 2-17: Santa Ana River Watershed Household Income........................................................59

Figure 2-18: Santa Ana River Watershed Disadvantaged Communities ......................................60

Figure 3-1 Santa Ana River Watershed: Existing Infrastructure ................................................62

Figure 3-2 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Watershed Improvements ..........................63

Figure 3-3 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Water Storage Projects ................................66

Figure 3-4 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed WQ Improvement Projects ........................86

Figure 3-5 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Water Recycling Projects ............................101

Figure 3-6 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Flood Protection Projects ..........................110

Figure 3-7 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Wetlands & Habitat Projects ......................115

Figure 3-8 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Rec. & Conservation Projects ....................124

Figure 4-1 Santa Ana River Watershed: Watershed Divisions ....................................................129

Figure 4-2 Santa Ana River Watershed: Proposed Project Mix ..................................................131

Figure 4-3 Santa Ana River Watershed: IWP Schedule ................................................................165

List of Acronyms:Abbreviations and terms used in this report:

AFY Acre-feet per year

Basin Plan Water Quality Control Plan, Santa Ana River Basin

BMP Best Management Practices

CDA Chino Basin Desalter Authority

CDFG California Department of Fish and Game

CEQA California Environmental Quality Act

CFS Cubic feet per second

CRA Colorado River Aqueduct

DWR California Department of Water Resources

EMWD Eastern Municipal Water District

EPA California Environmental Protection Agency

ET Evapotranspiration

EVMWD Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District

GWR Groundwater Replenishment

HUD United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

IEUA Inland Empire Utilities Agency

IRP (MWD) Integrated Water Resources Plan

IRWMP Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

IWP Integrated Watershed Program

JCSD Jurupa Community Services District

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

LESJWA Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto Watersheds Authority

LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

LUFT Leaking Underground Fuel Tank

mg/L Milligrams per liter

MGD Million gallons per day

MTBE Methyl tertiary butyl ether

MWD Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

NPS Non point source

OCWD Orange County Water District

POTW Publicly Owned Treatment Works

PPCP Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Pollutants

RCD Resource Conservation District

RCSD Rubidoux Community Services District

RF/CP Recharge Facilities/Community Park

RCFCWCD Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District

RWQCB Regional Water Quality Control Board

SAIWP Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Plan

SAR Santa Ana River

SARI Santa Ana River Interceptor

SARWG Santa Ana River Watershed Group

(continued)

Acronyms | v


List of Acronyms (cont.)

SAW Santa Ana Watershed

SAWA Santa Ana Watershed Association of Resource Conservation Districts

SAWDMS Santa Ana Watershed Data Management System

SAWPA Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority

SBCFCD San Bernardino County Flood Control District

SBVMWD San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District

SCAG Southern California Association of Governments

SCIWP Southern California Integrated Watershed Plan

SPW State Project Water

SWRCB State Water Resources Control Board

TDS Total Dissolved Solids

TIN Total Inorganic Nitrogen

TVRI Temescal Valley Regional Inceptor

ug/L Micrograms per liter

USACOE United States Army Corps of Engineers

USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency

USFS United States Forest Service

USFS-BAER United States Forest Service-Burn Area Emergency Response

USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service

USGS United States Geologic Survey

VOC Volatile Organic Compound

WMI Watershed Management Initiative

WMWD Western Municipal Water District

WRDP Water Resource Development Plan

WRP Water Resources Plan

YVWD Yucaipa Municipal Water District

Acronyms | vi


The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) Integrated Watershed Plan, 2005 Update is the next stepin implementing SAWPA’s program to create a sustainable Santa Ana River Watershed supporting economicand environmental vitality, and an enhanced quality of life updating SAWPA’s three volume 2002 IntegratedWatershed Plan (IWP) included as Appendices A thru C. This plan supports the planning goals and objectivesof stakeholders within the Santa Ana River Watershed and serves as the watershed’s Integrated Regional WaterManagement Plan (IRWMP).

This plan can be used by anyone interested in improving the sustainability of water resources and ecologicalhealth of the watershed. We are all inextricably linked to the projects and opportunities identified in this Planbecause they will help to create a more sustainable Santa Ana Watershed. New partnerships have arisen out ofscoping meetings and other discussions during the preparation of this document. Many more partnerships areexpected to grow. For example, there is a special message to the planning community inviting public andprivate sector planners alike to increase awareness of the benefits of planning on a watershed scale and tointegrate watershed thinking into the everyday planning process. It is with great excitement and anticipationthat SAWPA invites you to read the pages that follow. We hope you will be inspired by the projects,opportunities, and messages contained within this Plan.

Preface | vii


Preface

A. BackgroundThe Santa Ana River watershed is home to over 5million people in southern California, and withinthe next 50 years, the region’s population isprojected to grow to almost 10 million people.This growth will certainly accelerate the pressuresalready on the region’s limited water resources.The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, orSAWPA, has supported its five member wateragencies (see Figure 1-1) and various stakeholdergroups throughout the watershed including theSanta Ana Regional Water Quality Control Boards(RWQCB) with developing and implementing aplan to ensure that there is sufficient clean waterto support all the water needs of the watershedinto the future.

Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority(SAWPA)

SAWPA is a Joint PowersAuthority, focusing on watersupply and water quality. Itsstated mission is to develop andmaintain regional plans,programs and projects that will

protect the Santa Ana River basin water resourcesto maximize beneficial uses within the watershedin an economically and environmentallyresponsible manner. First formed in 1968 as aplanning agency, SAWPA was reformed in 1972with a mission to plan and build facilities toprotect the water quality of the Santa Ana RiverWatershed. The agreements formalizing thecurrent agency were signed in 1974 and went intoeffect in 1975.

SAWPA Member Agencies

SAWPA carries out functions useful to its fivemember agencies: Eastern Municipal WaterDistrict (EMWD), Inland Empire Utilities Agency(IEUA), Orange County Water District (OCWD),San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District(SBVMWD), and Western Municipal Water District

(WMWD). The jurisdiction of SAWPA and itsmember agencies spans approximately 2,650square miles of the Santa Ana Watershedencompassing much of Orange County, a sliver ofLos Angeles County, and the major populationcenters of western Riverside and southwesternSan Bernardino Counties. Each of these agenciesdescribed below plans and executes long-termprojects and management programs of their own,but it is primarily agencies working throughSAWPA that provide the vehicle for effective andconcerted planning efforts on a regional basis.

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD)Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) is aretail water agency servicing an area coveringapproximately 555 square miles in westernRiverside County. The District serves a populationof approximately 400,000 in six incorporated citiesand unincorporated portions of western RiversideCounty. In addition to its role as a retail agency,the District also provides wholesale water to thefollowing sub-agencies of Lake Hemet Municipal

Water District, Cityof Hemet, City ofSan Jacinto, City ofPerris, Nuevo WaterCompany, Elsinore

Valley Municipal Water District and RanchoCalifornia Water District.

As a member agency of the Metropolitan WaterDistrict of Southern California (MWD), theDistrict gained a supply of imported water fromthe Colorado River Aqueduct and, ultimately,water from northern California through the StateWater Project, which transports water fromNorthern California via the California Aqueduct.The District’s initial mission was to deliverimported water to supplement local groundwatersupplies. Over time the District’s role changed asadditional agency responsibilities were added,including groundwater production and resourcemanagement, wastewater collection andtreatment, and finally regional water recycling.

Part 1: SAWPA’s Integrated Watershed Program | 1


Part 1: SAWPA’s Integrated Watershed Program

Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA)Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) service areacovers about 242 square miles in the southwesterncorner of San Bernardino County, and serves apopulation of approximately 700,000. IEUA

provides regionalwastewater serviceand imported waterdeliveries to eight

contracting agencies. These include the City ofChino, City of Chino Hills, Cucamonga ValleyWater District (CVWD), City of Fontana, City ofMontclair, City of Ontario, City of Upland andMonte Vista Water District.

As a member agency of MWD, IEUA providessupplemental water, as well as regionalwastewater treatment for both domestic andindustrial clients and energy recovery/productionfacilities. In addition, the Agency has become arecycled water purveyor, biosolids/fertilizertreatment provider and continues to focus onwater supply salt management, for the purpose ofprotecting the regions vital groundwater supplies.

Orange County Water District (OCWD)Orange County Water District (OCWD) servicearea covers more than 350 square miles, and theOrange County Groundwater Basin. The basinprovides a water supply to more than 20 cities andwater agencies, serving over two million people.

The District owns 1,600 acres inand near the Santa Ana River inAnaheim and Orange, which ituses to capture flows and rechargethe groundwater basin. TheDistrict also owns 2,400 acres

above Prado Dam, which it uses for waterconservation and water quality improvement.

OCWD’s mission is to manage and protect theOrange County Groundwater Basin in northernand central Orange County. The groundwaterbasin supplies approximately two-thirds of thewater used by over two million residents in theDistrict's service area. The balance is importedfrom the Colorado River and from NorthernCalifornia through the Sacramento/San JoaquinDelta State Water Project by MWD.

San Bernardino Valley Municipal WaterDistrict (SBVMWD)San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District(SBVMWD) service area covers about 325 squaremiles primarily in southwestern San BernardinoCounty with a very small portion of its service areain Riverside County. The area within SBVMWDincludes a population of around 600,000. TheSBVMWD spans the eastern two-thirds of the San

Bernardino Valley, the CraftonHills, and a portion of the YucaipaValley, and includes the cities andcommunities of San Bernardino,Colton, Loma Linda, Redlands,Rialto, Bloomington, Highland,

Grand Terrace, and Yucaipa. The SBVMWD’smission is to import water into its service areathrough participation in the California State WaterProject. SBVMWD is also charged with managinggroundwater and surface water within itsboundaries through various court judgments.

Western Municipal Water District (WMWD)Western Municipal Water District (WMWD) servicearea covers a 510 square mile area of westernRiverside County with a population of about

438,000 people. WMWD servesmore than 17,000 retail and ninewholesale customers with waterfrom both the Colorado Riverand the State Water Project. As amember agency of MWD,

WMWD provides supplemental water to the cities ofCorona, Norco, and Riverside and the wateragencies of Box Springs, Lee Lake, Elsinore Valley,and Rancho California, as well as serving customersin the unincorporated areas of El Sobrante, EagleValley, Temescal Creek, Woodcrest, Lake Mathews,and March Air Reserve Base. WMWD also operatesand maintains domestic and industrial wastewatercollection and conveyance systems for retail andcontract services customers in Lake Hills, March AirReserve Base, Home Gardens, Corona, and Norco.

About one-quarter of the water that WMWDpurchases from the MWD comes from the ColoradoRiver Aqueduct and about three-quarters from theState Water Project, which transports water from




Northern California via the California Aqueduct.Western currently imports a very small quantity ofwater from the San Bernardino basin and intends toincrease these imports with the implementation ofthe Riverside-Corona Feeder project.

SAWPA’s program to address the water resourceneeds for the region is identified as the Santa AnaIntegrated Watershed Program (SAIWP). Thisprogram was initiated in 1998 with SAWPA’s WaterResources Plan (WRP). The WRP described themeasures that must be taken in order to moreefficiently utilize both local and imported waterresources. This plan was updated and expandedin 2002 as SAWPA’s 2002 Santa Ana IntegratedWatershed Plan (SAIWP), a three volume planningguide which examined key aspects of watershedgrowth, health and maintenance in regard towater resources (see Figure 1-2).

The first volume of the SAIWP included as AppendixA is the Water Resources Component, a planningdocument, which builds upon member agencylong-term water resource plans and managementprograms, thus providing a vehicle to ensureeffective and concerted planning efforts on aregional basis. The second volume of the SAIWP

included as Appendix B is the Environmental andWetlands Component. It describes the watershedwide wetlands program and watershed plan thatintegrates wetlands, trails, habitat, open space,education, and invasive species removal. The thirdvolume of the SAIWP included as Appendix C is theUpper Santa Ana Regional Interceptor (SARI)Planning Component which provides afoundational evaluation of the upper SARI, thewatershed brine disposal pipeline, and a future long-term beneficial use of the SARI as the critical facilityrequired to meet the SAWPA goal of transportinghighly saline, non-domestic discharges out of theupper watershed to protect its groundwaterresources. In addition, to support the IWP process,SAWPA has prepared numerous reports to addressregional water resources issues in the Santa AnaRiver Watershed. These include reports such as:

■ The October 2003 Old, Grand Prix and PaduaFires Burn Impacts to Water Systems andResources Report, which documented thelikely impacts to water supply, quality, habitatand flood control throughout the Watershedresulting from the San Bernardino area fires,included as Appendix D;

Figure 1-2


■ The March 2004 Santa Ana River ProjectedFlow Impacts Report, which characterizedcurrent flow conditions and projected theimpact of municipal wastewater discharges onfuture flow, included as Appendix E;

■ The November 2004 Santa Ana River WatershedRegional Perchlorate Investigative Report, whichexamined the extent of perchloratecontamination in the watershed and possibleactions to address the impacts to waterresources, included as Appendix F;

■ Water and the Santa Ana Watershed’s Economy(Husing, 2005), an analysis of demographic andeconomic challenges facing the watershed inregard to future water needs, included asAppendix G;

■ The 2005 Santa Ana Regional GroundwaterManagement Plan, which summarizes regionalgroundwater management plans, included asAppendix H;

■ The 2005 SAWPA Urban Water Management Plan,included as Appendix I.

Taken together, the SAIWP and these relatedplanning documents prepared by SAWPA providean invaluable tool to address the most importantlong-term regional water resources issues in theSanta Ana watershed.

B. Planning ProcessThe SAIWP is developed and maintained throughan ongoing collaborative stakeholder process,which examines a wide array of watershed issues.This collaborative planning process headed bySAWPA, incorporates input from SAWPA memberagencies, as well as, numerous member sub-agencies and other water resource agencies. Itconsiders a broad mix of local, regional, as well as,Statewide plans and priorities and integrates andbuilds upon regional planning efforts in order todevelop and maintain a single comprehensiveregional watershed management strategy. Theresult of this process is an integrated regional planthat provides a detailed mix of projects andprograms to address a variety of watershedconcerns.

SAWPA believes there are six critical factors thathave led to the success of this planning process:vision, collaboration, innovation, integration,funding, and response to continuing challenges.

VisionIt is easy to identify a problem; it much moredifficult to start with a vision of how to solve theproblem. The problem is to identify how to meetthe water needs of a quickly growing population,

in a time when water is becoming scarcer, whilealso dealing with environmental and otherconcerns. SAWPA’s vision for the watershed is:

A sustainable Santa Ana River Watershedsupporting economic and environmental vitality,and an enhanced quality of life.

A key component of SAWPA’s long term vision, theSAIWP objective is to lay out an adaptiveapproach to make the region entirely selfsufficient during drought cycles, thereby firming



up the regions ability to assure a stable economy,while improving water quality, and also allowingmore of the State’s scarce water resources to beallocated to wildlife and agriculture during thosetimes. Through this approach SAWPA is able todevelop and maintain regional strategies,programs and projects that protect and preservethe water resources of the Santa Ana River basin.In accordance with this approach, the SAIWP isperiodically updated to address the changinggoals and needs of the regions water agencies,which are listed as follows:

■ Identify and update regional problems, issues,and describe long-term integrated solutions.

■ Recognize and adapt to updates and changesin member and member sub-agencies waterresource planning.

■ Review planning time horizons for 2010, 2025,and 2050 of water demands and supplies.

■ Identify and describe a comprehensive mix ofwater resource projects.

■ Balance and integrate available resources,including projects that enhance theenvironment.

■ Assure that three years of groundwater storageis maintained in the Santa Ana River Basin by2020 so that no imported water would beneeded under a drought scenario.

■ Assure a salt balance – no net gain in saltvolumes – for the Santa Ana River Basin by 2050.

CollaborationAs is likely to occur within any watershed, thesometimes conflicting goals or priorities ofvarious watershed agencies can hinder progress.Within the Santa Ana River Watershed there areover 100 large and small water districts (see Figure1-3), local, regional, state and federal agencies,and public/private stakeholder groups. SAWPArecognizes that all of these stakeholders have theirown valid interests in ensuring there is sufficientclean reliable water in the watershed, and SAWPAtakes the initiative to keep all of these groupsworking together to solve the watershed’s issues.

SAWPA strives for a collaborative approach tobring together the planning community, includingboth public and private sector planners, toadvance the benefits of planning on a watershedscale and integrating watershed thinking into theeveryday planning process. Working with variedinterests and agendas, this watershed planningprocess has opened the doors to still greaterpartnerships, funding opportunities, connectivity,and increased awareness of planning projects andopportunities both in the city next door and in thecommunity on the other side of the Watershed.

As many cities and counties are in the process ofupdating their General Plans, fundingopportunities and greater collaboration betweenwater agencies, nongovernmental organizations,and local land use authorities are facilitatingbeneficial projects such as conservation, openspace, restoration, enhancement, connectivity,and multi-benefit approaches. In this way,planners are finding themselves in a new place,one of noting the quality of these projects andhow to get them through the regulatory planningprocess with more agreement and greater speed.State law is helpful in this process forConservation, Safety, Open Space and Land UseElements are required elements of every GeneralPlan in the State of California. These Elementsprovide essential components of good watershedplans. In addition, newly proposed Fire HazardPlanning, as well as the more traditional floodplainmanagement guidelines for preparation of GeneralPlans, include helpful explanations andinstructions for planners trying to make sense ofhow watershed planning can be and should beintegrated into General Plan Updates.

In developing regional plans and prioritizingmulti-benefit projects, it is important to not onlycoordinate efforts with other planning agencieswithin the region, but it is equally important tocoordinate across regional boundaries. Duringthe preparation of the IWP, SAWPA staffexchanged information and discussed prioritieswith planners from regions adjoining the SantaAna watershed. For example, SAWPA staffcoordinated closely with planners and projectproponents in south Orange County and in theLos Angeles and San Gabriel River valleys.



State and Federal Involvement The Resources Agency of the State of California is inthe process of developing statewide watershedplanning guidelines. This Agency, in conjunctionwith the SWRCB, issued a draft report for the StateLegislature titled “Addressing the Need to ProtectCalifornia’s Watersheds: Working with LocalPartnerships”. The first recommendation to comeout of this report was the development of statewidewatershed policy, including the establishment of asingle set of overall principles, policies, and flexibleguidelines for watershed management. SAWPA hasreviewed the draft report and has sought toincorporate the State supported policies,principles, and guidelines in its planning processesto build strong local partnerships.

With authority granted through the CaliforniaWater Code and the Clean Water Act, the StateWater Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and thenine RWQCBs are responsible for the protectionand enhancement of California’s water quality.The SWRCB sets statewide policy and works withthe RWQCBs to implement State and federal lawsand regulations. The Water Quality Control Planfor the Santa Ana River Basin (Basin Plan),adopted by the Santa Ana RWQCB, which formsthe basis for the region’s regulatory program wasrevised in 1983 and 1995, and 2002. Most policiesoutlined in the Basin Plan are addressed in theWater Resources Plan Component rather than theEnvironmental and Wetlands Component of the2002 SAIWP.

Santa Ana River WatershedPartnershipsSince its formation, SAWPA has taken a lead role inestablishing effective regional partnerships withthe Santa Ana RWQCB, and other stakeholders inthe watershed to address water quality and waterresource issues. The following task forces andworkgroups are examples of watershedpartnerships that SAWPA has administered andformed by working closely with the RWQCB inresponse to the need for updating variouscomponents of the Basin Plan.

San Jacinto TMDL Workgroup

The San Jacinto TMDL Workgroup is a collaborativeeffort of public and private sector agencies andinterests focused on the development of TMDLswithin the San Jacinto River watershed and thedownstream water bodies of Lake Elsinore andCanyon Lake. Formed in 2000, the workgroup hasparticipated by contributing manpower for astormwater monitoring program, as well as, localdata and input for a watershed modeling study toassess nutrient sources and identify managementstrategies for the control nutrients in thewatershed. Currently, the workgroup is workingwith the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality ControlBoard in the formulation of TMDL allocations andimplementation strategies.

Santa Ana River Watershed Alliance

In 2004, the Department of Conservationprovided a grant to Earth Resource Foundation tohelp implement water conservation and betterwater quality management practices (BMPs)within the lower watershed. This grant led to theformation of the Santa Ana River WatershedAlliance (SARWA), composed of over 50stakeholders from throughout the watershed. Thegoal of SARWA is to develop in the public anunderstanding of the issues within the watershedand the tasks being undertaken to address them,and to foster support among public and privateorganizations and agencies for the advance ofwatershed management.

Chino Basin TMDL Workgroup

The Chino Basin TMDL Workgroup is a collaborativeeffort of public and private sector agencies andinterests focused on the development of pathogenTMDLs for Santa Ana River Reach 3 and its tributariesand other water bodies in the Chino Basin area.Formed in 2000, the workgroup has been working onseveral pathogen related activities and studies for theChino Basin. These include the implementation of apathogen monitoring program to identify sourcesand assess contributions of pathogens within thewatershed, a beneficial use survey of the Santa Ana




River to examine stream usage and the developmentof a pathogen modeling framework to evaluatepathogen management scenarios to simulatepathogens. Additionally, the workgroup is workingwith the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality ControlBoard in the formulation of pathogen TMDLallocation and implementation strategies.

Santa Ana Watershed TIN/TDS Task Force

The nitrogen management and total dissolvedsolids (TIN/TDS) Task Force has been recognized inthe State of California as a highly effective andsuccessful example of local stakeholders working inconjunction with the RWQCB to maintain highwater quality in California. This Task Force formedin 1995 was established to evaluate Basin planobjectives and implement these objectives fornitrate-nitrogen and TDS in the Santa Ana RiverWatershed. Partners include the Orange CountyWater District, City of Riverside, City of Colton, Cityof Rialto, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District,Riverside-Highland Water Company, Inland EmpireUtilities Agency, City of San Bernardino Water Dept.,Eastern Municipal Water District, Yucaipa ValleyWater District, West San Bernardino County WaterDistrict, Chino Basin Watermaster, Chino BasinWater Conservation District, City of Redlands, SanBernardino Valley Water Conservation District,California Institution for Men, San BernardinoValley Municipal Water District, Jurupa CommunityServices District, City of Corona, Western MunicipalWater District, US Geological Survey, MetropolitanWater District of Southern California, OrangeCounty Sanitation District, San Timoteo WatershedManagement Authority and Santa Ana WatershedProject Authority.

Santa Ana Watershed TIN/TDS Meeting

Success of the Maximum BenefitDemonstration

The TIN/TDS Task Force was instrumentalin establishing new groundwaterobjectives for TIN/TDS in the watershedbased on established Federal and Statelaw. For the first time in any RWQCBBasin Plan in the State, the studyproponents were able to demonstratethat groundwater quality can beprotected not solely based on historicalquality (the “antidegradation”objectives), but also by meetingdemonstration requirements that protectgroundwater quality for the “maximumbenefit to the people of the State” andbe maintained at (the “maximumbenefit” objectives). In the Chino Basin,Beaumont and Yucaipa basins, localstakeholders were able to demonstrateto the State that through theimplementation of local cooperativeprojects such as groundwaterdesalination plants and expandedstormwater capture and recharge basins,groundwater basin quality can beprotected and existing and downstreambeneficial uses will be met. Through anaggressive series of monitoringrequirements, the State will be able toassure that water quality is protectedwith the antidegradation objectivesdefined as the default condition. Thesuccess of this multi-agency approach inworking closely with a local RWQCB tomaximize the use of water resourceswhile protecting water quality as beendefined by the SWRCB has anextraordinary success and an excellentexample for other regions to followthroughout the State.


Santa Ana Watershed Stormwater QualityTask Force

The Santa Ana Watershed Stormwater QualityTask Force is a collaborative effort of public andprivate sector agencies and interests. The TaskForce was formed in 2002 to assist the Santa AnaRegional Water Quality Control Board in providingadditional data and science in the evaluation ofthe REC-1 beneficial use designation andassociated water quality objectives for the river.Since beneficial use designations and waterquality objectives define the quality of point andnonpoint discharges into receiving waters andthese receiving waters are regulated by the SantaAna RWQCB, municipal stormwater entities aswell as other regulated business, industrial anddevelopment groups are interested in providingthe best available information to update the waterquality objectives and designated beneficial usesof receiving waters. Workgroup members willdevelop a basin-wide assessment of existingconditions of receiving waters and of existingbeneficial uses supported by those waters andidentify data gaps and other areas where furtherassessment is needed.

Santa Ana Watershed Basin MonitoringTask Force

The Santa Ana Watershed Basin Monitoring Task Force isa collaborative effort of public and private sectoragencies and interests. The Task Force was formed as aspin off of the TIN/TDS Task Force in 2003 with themission of implementing the monitoring requirementsrequired as part of the original TIN/TDS Task Forceeffort. These monitoring requirements include atriennial update of the ambient groundwater qualitythroughout all the groundwater basins in the Santa AnaRiver Watershed, an annual report on the Nitrogen andTDS in the Santa Ana River for Reaches 2, 4 and 5, and anoptional annual monitoring program with report tojustify an increased nitrogen loss coefficient of more than25%. Agencies participating in this Task Force are largelythe same as those who participated in the TIN/TDS TaskForce and have elected to combine their efforts andprovide watershed-wide monitoring reports rather thanproviding separate reports for each of their separatejurisdictions.

Perchlorate Impacts Workgroup

The Perchlorate Impacts Workgroup, formed in2004, is a collaborative effort of public and privatesector agencies and interests formed to developand implement regional strategies toward theremoval of perchlorate contamination fromgroundwater resources of the San Ana River.Perchlorate contamination has been detected ingroundwater wells throughout the watershed andhas been linked directly to past aerospaceindustry activities, the manufacturing ofpyrotechnics and other products, as well as, frompast banking of water imported from the ColoradoRiver and chemical fertilizers imported from Chilein the early 1900’s.

The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality ControlBoard has identified perchlorate as a priority forgroundwater resource protection. Additionally,within the water industry there is concernregarding the increasing reliance of local agencieson imported water to replace contaminatedgroundwater to meet potable water demands andthe long term impacts to the regional IntegratedWatershed Program goal of becoming lessdependent on imported water supplies.Workgroup members have been pursuing federalfunding to address the perchlorate contaminationand SAWPA completed a report describing theextent of perchlorate contamination in the SantaAna Watershed (SAW).

Regional Watershed PartnershipsIn addition to the previously describedcollaborative partnerships with the RWQCB, overthe past decade SAWPA has played a significantrole in participating and partnering other regionaltask force study efforts.

Team ArundoTeam Arundo is recognized throughout the State ofCalifornia as a leader in the removal of Arundodonax, a rapidly growing water thirsty species ofgiant reed which has infested the Santa Ana RiverWatershed. Partners include the Santa AnaWatershed Association (SAWA), the Riverside




County Parks and Open Space District, the RiversideCounty Flood Control District, the Orange CountyWater District, the Orange County Public Facilitiesand Resources Department, the MonsantoCompany, the Orange County Conservation Corps,California Conservation Corps and SAWPA, whichserves as administrator. Historically, the NatureConservancy has also participated in Team Arundo.Team Arundo members have undertaken a numberof ambitious invasive species removal andrestoration projects throughout the watershed. Theforesight and leadership of these groups haveproven instrumental in elevating the need forArundo removal to an issue of statewide and Federalimportance.

Removal of Arundo donax from Santa Ana River

Santa Ana River Trail PartnershipThe Santa Ana River Trail Partnership is a multiCounty effort to develop a continuous multi-useregional trail system and parkway along the SantaAna River corridor. Partners include SanBernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties, thecities of Anaheim, Colton, Corona, Highland,Huntington Beach, Loma Linda, Norco, Orange,Redlands, Rialto, Riverside, San Bernardino, SantaAna and Villa Park, as well as, numerous agencies,organizations and consulting groups. While the110-mile trail is not yet complete, severalsegments totaling approximately 40 miles havebeen constructed. Plans are almost complete for

the remaining 70 miles (as well as a number offeeder trails and connections), and full fundinghas been secured for some segments. The trail isviewed as a valuable resource providing multi-benefit opportunities including connectivity,transportation alternatives, scenic relief to urbandwellers, recreational activities, and linearparkways with opportunities for environmentalrestoration as well as education.

The Santa Ana River Trail Partnerships seeks todevelop recreational opportunities

The Friends of Harbors, Beaches, and ParksThe Friends of Harbors, Beaches, and Parks wasestablished to promote the protection,enhancement, and expansion of Orange Countyregional parks, open space preserves, recreationaltrails, and coastal recreational facilities. With apaid membership of over 500 persons andorganizations, the Friends of Harbors, Beaches,and Parks works with numerous partnersincluding local cities, Orange County nonprofitorganizations, and private entities. This group hasproposed to create a 1,400-acre park at the mouthof the Santa Ana River. This park would beassembled from a patchwork quilt of neighboringlands owned and individually managed by threecities; the County of Orange; several regional,State, and federal agencies, and private entities.


Chino Basin PartnersThrough the collaboration of community leadersincluding the Milk Producers Council, Inland EmpireUtilities Agency, Chino Basin Watermaster and manyothers, the Chino Basin has developed an awardwinning organics management and groundwaterprotection strategy that offers an integrated (multiplebenefit) watershed plan for treating, recycling andreusing organic materials. This partnership is working todeliver significant water and air quality improvementsfor the region, enhance the reliability of local watersupplies, generate clean renewable energy and recycledorganic materials, provide significant local economicbenefits and contribute to enhanced wildlife habitatswithin the Chino Basin. Innovative projects includestate-of-the-art anaerobic digesters and compostingfacilities, as well as the construction of California’s firstplatinum Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) rated water and energy efficient officebuilding that serves as the headquarters for the InlandEmpire Utilities Agency.

Santa Ana Sucker Conservation Team The Santa Ana Sucker Conservation Team is a multi-agency group effort formed by SAWPA, establishedto coordinate applied research and direct effortstoward the recovery and delisting of the Santa Anasucker fish species. Work under this activity allowsprogram participants to continue routinemaintenance activities with a regionalprogrammatic section 7 consultation. Partnersproviding financial support include the City ofRiverside, City of San Bernardino, County of OrangePFRD, Orange County Sanitation District, OrangeCounty Water District, Riverside County FloodControl and Water Conservation District, SanBernardino County Flood Control District andSAWPA. Other participants include U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, California Department of Fish andGame, Santa Ana Regional Water Quality ControlBoard, Riverside-Corona RCD and the City ofCorona. The group has completed a draftConservation Program for the federally threatenedfish, which has been submitted to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service. This program enumerates activitiesthat may be undertaken by organizations within theWatershed to minimize effects on the sucker.

The Santa Ana Sucker Conservation Team seeks torestore natural habitat for the threatened Santa AnaSucker

Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto WatershedsAuthority (LESJWA)LESJWA is a joint powers authority entrusted with$15 million from Proposition 13 Water bond toimprove water quality and wildlife habitats,primarily in Lake Elsinore, as well as in Canyon Lakeand the surrounding San Jacinto River Watershed.LESJWA members include Riverside County, City ofLake Elsinore, City of Canyon Lake, Elsinore ValleyMunicipal Water District and the Santa AnaWatershed Project Authority, which serves asLESJWA administrator. LESJWA’s mission is to workcooperatively with all stakeholders to rehabilitate,improve and maintain the beneficial uses of thewaters within Lake Elsinore and the San JacintoRiver Watershed; obtain a sustainable water supplythat will provide a stabilized lake level for LakeElsinore; and protect and enhance the recreationaland natural resources within Lake Elsinore and theSan Jacinto River Watershed. In the watershed,LESJWA provides a framework to strengthenworking relationships between member agenciesand stakeholders in an effort to better identifysolutions to water and habitat problems that nosingle agency could effectively address before.

Rainwater Recovery Initiative In recognition of the opportunities to integrate floodprotection and enhancing the groundwater




resources in the region through increasedpercolation and provide habitat and open space,SAWPA proposed a rainwater recovery initiative inApril 2005. This initiative would assist flood controlagencies and water agencies to work cooperativelyin efforts to enhance the water recovered in the floodcontrol facilities. Unlike many other urbanizedsystems in California, the Santa Ana Watershed hasonly about 20% of the flood control infrastructure isconcrete lines, with the rest consisting of soft-bottomed channel. The watershed’s numerous soft-bottomed channels and associated flood controlstructures provide outstanding opportunities forincreasing groundwater recharge in our regionwhich is so dependent on groundwater to providewater for its economic and environmental future.

The rainwater recovery initiative would assistcooperating agencies in meeting their mandatedgoals while developing a means to provideadditional resources and other important benefitsto the region. Cooperative ventures such as theseallow individual agencies to leverage scarceresources and develop integrated projects that aremore comprehensive than what they could developindividually. The initiative efforts will work tocoordinate meetings to cooperatively discussmission and goals of the agencies, resourcesavailable among agencies, understand limitations,and discuss opportunities for cooperative efforts.The initiative will also support projects and effortsto recharge stormwater, provide groundwaterclean-up by infiltrating high quality water into thegroundwater basins, support non-point pollutioncontrol goals, attenuate peak storm flows resultingfrom urbanization, and improve habitat and facilitymaintainability through restoration of ecologicalfunction in areas where it is possible. Severalexamples of these types of projects are included inthe list of priority projects recommended forfunding by SAWPA from the Proposition 50 Chapter8 Integrated Regional Water Management GrantProgram and described under Part 4 of this plan.

San Jacinto River Watershed CouncilThe San Jacinto River Watershed Council is amulti-agency non-profit group of watershed

stakeholders within the San Jacinto RiverWatershed, a subwatershed of the Santa AnaWatershed. Among the members are localgovernment, water agencies, agriculture, dairyowners and environmental representativesspanning the San Jacinto watershed. Theirpurpose is to coordinate with stakeholders toensure that the current and potential uses of theSan Jacinto River Watershed’s resources aresustained, restored, and where possible,enhanced, while promoting the long-term socialand economic vitality of the region. SAWPA is amember of the Council’s governing board.

Southern California Wetlands RecoveryProgram The Southern California Wetlands RecoveryProgram is a multi-agency group workingcooperatively to acquire, restore, and enhancecoastal wetlands and watersheds between PointConception and the international border withMexico. Using a non-regulatory approach and anecosystem perspective, the Wetlands Program willwork together to identify wetland acquisition andrestoration priorities, prepare plans for thesepriority sites, pool funds to undertake theseprojects, implement priority plans, and overseepost-project maintenance and monitoring. Thegoal of the Southern California Wetlands RecoveryProgram is to accelerate the pace, the extent, andthe effectiveness of coastal wetland restoration inSouthern California through developing andimplementing a regional prioritization plan forthe acquisition, restoration, and enhancement ofSouthern California’s coastal wetlands andwatersheds. Ultimately, the Wetlands Program’sefforts will result in a long-term increase in thequantity and quality of the region’s wetlands.


The Southern California Wetlands Recovery Programseeks to restore natural wetland habitat

Burn Area Working Group The Burn Area Working Group is a collaborativeeffort of public and private sector agencies andinterest groups focused on evaluating the impacts,as well as, implementing mitigation efforts directlyrelated to impacts of forest fires. The workinggroup was formed in response to the 2003 SanBernardino wildfires which destroyed over 120,000acres of wildland habitat. Local participantsincluded the cities of San Bernardino, Big Bear,Upland, Redlands, Highland, Claremont, Corona,Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario, as well as, theChino Basin Watermaster, City of San BernardinoWater Department, San Bernardino ValleyMunicipal Water District, Western Municipal WaterDistrict, Metropolitan Water District of SouthernCalifornia, West Valley Water District, East ValleyWater District, Yucaipa Valley Water District,Cucamonga Valley Water District, Rubidoux CountySanitation District, Fontana Union WaterCompany, Big Bear Department of Water & Power,Running Springs Water Department, Three ValleysMunicipal Water District, San Bernardino ValleyWater Conservation District, and the NaturalResources Conservation District. These localstakeholders coordinated efforts and informationwith federal and State agencies including theUnited States Forest Service Burn Area EmergencyResponse (BAER) team, United States ForestService (USFS), United States Fish & Wildlife

Service (USFWS), California Department of Fish &Game (CDFG), United States Army Corps ofEngineers (USACOE), and the Santa Ana RWQCB tohelp the impacted communities identify andmitigate damage from the fires. To support thiseffort, SAWPA assimilated regional data to producethe “Burn Impacts to Water Systems and ResourcesOld, Grand Prix, and Padua Fires, October 2003”, animportant document that described the impacts ofthe burn areas on the watershed and its resources.

The Burn Area Working Group was key inevaluating the damages from the 2003 SanBernardino wildfires

Local and Regional Plans and Policies The SAIWP addresses water quality and watersupply issues, as well as, environmental issuesrelating to water within the Santa Ana Watershedand has been developed in accordance with otherapplicable local, State, and national plans andpolicies. General Plans for each of the Watershed’sthree major counties and 59 cities form thecornerstones of policy development within theWatershed. The Orange County General Plan, SanBernardino County General Plan Update andRiverside County General Plan Update have eachbeen reviewed during preparation for thisdocument. One ultimate goal of the SAIWP is toallow watershed planning policies and goals aplace in the general plans of local governments.




Coordinating Regional Plans and Programs

Riverside County Integrated Project

Western Riverside County MultispeciesHabitat Conservation Plan

San Bernardino County General PlanUpdate

San Bernardino Valleywide MultispeciesHabitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP)

OCWD Long Term Facilities Plan

Orange County Central—Coastal NCCPSubregional Plan

Orange County Southern SubregionProgram

Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Program

Endangered Species Recovery Plans

Santa Ana River Canyon HabitatManagement Plan

Environmental Assessment for the SantaAna Watershed Program

Waterfowl-Raptor Conservation AreaProgram

Lake Elsinore & San Jacinto WatershedsAuthority (LESJWA) Nutrient RemovalPlan

Stormwater Quality Standards Study

RWQCB TMDL Development andMonitoring

San Jacinto Watershed Management Plan

San Bernardino National Forest BurnReport

Santa Ana River Recycled Water ImpactsReport

Santa Ana Watershed PerchlorateImpacts Report

Nitrogen TDS Study

Southern California ComprehensiveWater Reclamation and Reuse Study

SAWPA strives for a collaborative approach to bringtogether the planning community, however, itcannot address all watershed planning issues andconcerns, nor will it fit together all existing plansand policies of every agency within the watershed.In these cases, SAWPA coordinates with thesponsors of these activities and provides resourceswhen possible. Other planning efforts within thewatershed that SAWPA is aware of include:

Metropolitan Water District, 2003Update Integrated Water Resources PlanThe framework for Metropolitan Water District’s(MWD) regional Integrated Water Resources Planwas initiated by their board of directors in 1996.This plan was envisioned to consider currentwater resource information, factors that mayinfluence water resources in the future, and plansfor uncertainties. The 1996 IRP provided a 20-yearresource plan that brought a balance betweenlocally developed resources and importedsupplies. It called for investments in waterconservation, recycling, groundwater treatmentstorage and water transfers, and in return broughtdiversity and stability. The 2003 IRP Update buildsupon the success of the 1996 IRP.

Three of SAWPA member districts, EMWD, IEUAand WMWD, are members of the MetropolitanWater District of Southern California (MWD) andhave been involved in the development of theMWD Integrated Water Resource plans andupdates. OCWD has also been indirectly involvedthrough various conjunctive use projects andthrough their affiliation with Municipal WaterDistrict of Orange County, an MWD memberagency.


Innovation

Water crosses many boundaries: social, political,logistical, environment, regulatory, to name a few.The innovation of the SAIWP is not necessarily inthe use of revolutionary new technologies, or inthe development of new concepts in watermanagement to help resolve all of the knownissues, but in the collaborative approach used bySAWPA to bring together the availableinformation and facilitate communication. Theinnovation is in getting all the stakeholders towork together towards the common goal; theinnovation is in providing a forum where theregulators and environmental groups and thewater suppliers can talk, can identify commonproblems and concerns, and can work together tofind solutions to these concerns.

Communication and teamwork are essentialelements within any watershed, especially amonggroups with the authority to manage naturalresources. As watershed planning has catapultedto an issue of international significancethroughout the past few decades, awareness ofwatershed ecology and hydrology has illuminatedthe need for managers within each watershed towork together to manage resources. Watershedsare made up of multiple interests; no one group orindividual can manage all the watershedsresources by themselves. Watershed partneringmeans bringing together different combinations

of citizen groups at difference scales and helpingthem to work together to value and enhance theresources within the watersheds.

The Santa Ana Watershed provides theopportunity to coordinate, as one ecological unit,the management of 1.7 million acres of extremelydiverse ecosystems. This opportunity has broughtforth both significant challenges and opportunity.There are many groups to bring together, butwhen brought to work together, there is a muchgreater ability to achieve landscape-level resourcemanagement goals. Through its efforts in thewatershed, SAWPA’s has been very successful inassembling seemingly conflicting interests at thesame table to resolve issues of concern, which hasresulted in some unique and effectivepartnerships. Whereas watershed planning maybe easier within smaller watersheds, the difficultyof planning within larger watersheds is balancedby the ability to affect large-scale regionalresource management and the opportunity topool resources on a regional scale.

Integration

SAWPA is a hub for Santa Ana Watershed planning.Within the watershed SAWPA has sponsorednumerous studies to address various watershedissues including groundwater contaminants, lakemanagement and regional water reuse. Itsunderstanding of the watershed overall and abilityto collaborate with regional players as a jointpowers authority have been used to construct ahost of successful projects. The Santa AnaRegional Interceptor, or SARI line, transports salty


Innovation Concepts- No watershed is an island- No “one-size-fits-all” solutions- Integrated set of differing solutions- Store/clean/save/reduce- Solutions with multiple benefits- More concerns than just water



water more than 100 miles from the Inland regionsto proper disposal in the ocean. Additionally,SAWPA has built two operating desalters,numerous pipelines and water and wastewatertreatment facilities to improve the watershed.

The approach to the SAIWP is to understand all ofthe related factors to supplying and maintainingsufficient, good quality water. This is not just anengineering exercise, but an integrated approachthat considers numerous separate but inter-related elements. For the sake of reducingredundancy, SAWPA’s IWP approach inconsidering each of these elements has reducedthem into the following six categories.

The Water Storage element of theprogram is developed to ensure asufficient supply of water will beavailable in drought years. In theSanta Ana River Watershed

groundwater makes up approximately 2/3 of theavailable local water supply. Through the SAIWP,SAWPA is working with local water agencies todevelop a list of projects to maximize the benefitof this capability. This considers elements ofwater supply reliability, conjunctive use, waterbanking, water transfers, groundwater recharge,storm water capture, surface storage, as well as,related elements of land use planning, watershedmanagement planning and implementation.

The Water Quality Protection andImprovement element of theprogram addresses a broadspectrum of water quality issues inthe watershed. The groundwater

basins in the watershed require extensivemanagement to mitigate nearly a century ofagricultural and industrial land uses; the SAIWPattempts to address this issue through theconstruction of projects to treat the groundwaterprior to making it available for water supplysystems. These include contaminant and saltremoval through groundwater desalination, waterand wastewater treatment; NPS pollutionreduction; demonstration projects to develop newdrinking water treatment and distributionmethods, as well as, related elements of waterquality monitoring, watershed management

planning and implementation.

The Water Recycling element of theprogram is the product of a majorattitude shift in water use, and theSAIWP encourages recycling andreuse of wastewater as a means to

reduce the area’s overall imported waterconsumption.

The Storm & Flood WaterManagement element of theprogram integrates the concern forprotection of life and property instorm and flood events with the

potential to use these facilities to supportgroundwater storage, improve water quality,storm water capture and percolation; and protector improve wildlife habitat.

The Environment and Habitatelement of the program can bothdirectly and indirectly contribute tothe quantity and quality of waterthat is available in the watershed.

This program element includes the acquisition,protection, and restoration of open space andwatershed lands; the construction andenhancement of wetlands; ecosystem restoration;environmental and habitat protection andimprovement; the removal of invasive non-nativeplants, as well as, related elements of land useplanning, watershed management planning andimplementation. These actions will improvewater quality and will help restore the West’sPacific Flyway for native migratory birds.

Not only are there a number of environmentalregulations and requirements that must be met inthe process of developing the SAIWP, but theprotection of threatened, endangered, andsensitive species is essential. The Santa Ana Riverwatershed is heavily developed throughout muchof its area; but the development of the SAIWPprojects in a way that supports environmental andhabitat factors at the same time is of benefit to thenative flora and fauna, and also to the quality oflife of the residents of the watershed.


The Recreation, and Conservationelement may also not immediatelyseem to be a factor that directlycontributes to water supply; but itsindirect relationships are as strong

as those for Environment and Habitat factors.Elements of this category not only includeRecreation and Conservation projects, but alsoaspects of infrastructure security, public access,water use efficiency and land use planning. Manywater projects, particularly along the Santa AnaRiver or its tributaries, have quality of life andwater quality elements that make them importantconsiderations in the development of anintegrated watershed program. For example, theSanta Ana River Trail is a multi-agency programthat, when completed, would providewalking/biking/recreational facilities along theSanta Ana River from the ocean to the Crest of theSan Bernardino Mountains. Because this trailwould cross many different land owners andwater management facilities, it is critical that thisprogram be integrated with how the water supply,water quality, storm and flood water elements ofthe SAIWP are implemented. Existing waterpipeline easements may provide importantregional trail linkages of benefit to those in thewatershed.

Plan Performance and ManagementSAWPA’s SAIWP process considers a number ofmeasures to evaluate project/plan performance.These measures, referred to as outcome indicatorscan be generally categorized as either quantitativeoutcome indicators or benchmarks indicators.Quantitative outcome indicators includemechanisms, such as monitoring systems used togather performance data, whereas benchmarksare used to measure the quantity of workcompleted.

Quantitative goals should accompany outcomeindicators; however, some goals for improvementwill take many years to reach, or may never bereached due to unforeseen impediments. Therefore,it is important to include mechanisms to adaptproject operation and plan implementation based

on performance data collected. Benchmarksprovide intermediate goals to measure andcelebrate successes, such as the completion of 50percent of the project task by a specific date or byinvoking a contingency plan if specific project goalsare not reached by the specified date.

Examples of Measurable Goals andIndicators

1. Improve Water Quality

Improve Water Quality

• Number of impaired water bodieswithin watershed (water bodiesremoved from the State WaterResources Control Board’s 303 (d) Listof Impaired Water bodies)

• Use of water quality indicators such asdissolved oxygen, salinity, turbidity,and temperature to determinecompliance.

• Percentage of groundwater basinsthat meet drinking water standards

Increase water conservation/Decreaseimported water use/Reduce salinity

• Watershed wide use of recycled water(measured by millions of gallons perday)

• Per capita daily water use (measuredby gallons per day)

• Amount of water imported to theWatershed (measured by acre-feet peryear)

• Use of local water sources and storageof local water (measured by acre-feetper year)

• Water “banked” in groundwaterbasins (measured by acre-feet peryear)

• Control, reduction and elimination ofsources of salt in the Watershed




2. Engage the Community throughEducation and Recreational Opportunities

Improve Outdoor RecreationalOpportunities

• Miles of biking and hiking trailswithin the watershed

• Number of mega-connected trails (e.g.over 5 miles long)

• Number of publicly provided campingsites

• Number of equestrian staging areas

Increase Open Space

• Acres of land under protection onvarious levels within the watershed(e.g., private, city, county, state, andconservation easements)

• Acres of land covered in permeable vs.nonpermeable surfaces

• Public space acreage per 1,000 people(from SCAG data)

• Acreage of open space that providemulti-purpose benefits

Promote Watershed Education / Community Outreach

• Percentage of Watershed residentsthat can accurately answer thequestions, “What is a watershed?”and “What watershed do you live in?”

• Incorporation of locally tailored waterconservation curriculum into Orange,Riverside, and San Bernardino CountySchools

• Participation of Watershed residents inannual Coastal Clean-up (sponsored bythe Center for Marine Conservation) orother clean-up activities

3. Plan for the Future

Identify Future Sources of Funding

• Number of grant applications madefor watershed projects from

a) Local funding sources

b) State funding sources

c) Federal funding sources

• Number of grants won for watershedprojects from

a) Local funding sources

b) State funding sources

c) Federal funding sources

• Operational and maintenance fundingbudgeted (measured per millions ofdollars invested)

• Number of broad programmaticfunding sources identified

Regional Plan Performance andManagement Measures

Santa Ana Watershed Data ManagementSystem (SAWDMS)The Santa Ana Watershed Data ManagementSystem (SAWDMS) is under development and willbe available for stakeholders to use for a variety ofpurposes by late 2005. This watershed-widedatabase management system would includestandardization of data from numerousstakeholders in the watershed, would enableInternet access to the data by appropriate entities,and will be used as a tool to improve water qualityin the watershed. The data collected will integratesurface and groundwater data to assist numerouswater quality and water management programs.

Santa Ana River Watershed CitizensMonitoring ProjectThe Santa Ana River Watershed CitizensMonitoring Program is funded through the U.S.EPA and the SWRCB, and administered throughthe Santa Ana RWQCB. The program is run by theOrange County Coastkeeper, with assistance fromthe Riverside Corona RCD and the East Valley


RCD. Citizens engage in monitoring activities toidentify sources of non-point source contaminants.Public outreach and education is an integral partof the project, which trains volunteers to collectwater quality data that is later reported to theRWQCB.

Santa Ana Watershed Basin MonitoringProgramIn accordance with the RWQCB regulatory effortsto address salt and nitrate levels in the watershed,many of the Nitrogen/Total Dissolved Solids(N/TDS) Task Force agencies and other partieshave joined forces to implement a comprehensivemonitoring program as part of their “maximumbenefit” water quality objectives on water levelsand water quality. The monitoring programconsists of both surface water and groundwatercomponents. The program includes the evaluationof compliance with the total dissolved solids andnitrogen objectives for RWQCB designated Reaches2, 4 and 5 of the Santa Ana River.

San Jacinto Watershed TMDL MonitoringIn coordination with the RWQCB Total MaximumDaily Load (TMDL) efforts to address excesscontributions of nutrients and pathogens within theSan Jacinto Watershed, local stakeholders and theLake Elsinore and San Jacinto Watersheds Authorityhave initiated a comprehensive watershed flow andwater quality monitoring program for the SanJacinto watershed. The program consists ofmonitoring a minimum number of storm events toassess nutrient and pathogen contributions to LakeElsinore and Canyon Lake.

Chino Basin TMDL MonitoringIn coordination with the RWQCB TMDL efforts toaddress excess contributions of pathogens withinthe Chino Basin, local stakeholders have initiated acomprehensive monitoring program. The programconsists of both seasonal and storm watermonitoring components to assess pathogencontributions to Reach 3 of the Santa Ana River andits Chino Basin tributaries.

Water quality monitoring is a part of the on-goingTMDL effort

Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake MonitoringIn coordination with the RWQCB TMDL efforts toaddress excess contributions of nutrients andpathogens within the San Jacinto Watershed, localstakeholders and LESJWA are conducting acomprehensive in-lake water quality monitoringprogram. The program consists of an intensive in-lake monitoring to assess nutrient and pathogencontributions to Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake.

Santa Ana River Watermaster MonitoringIn accordance with the Prado 1969 Judgment,SBVMWD, IEUA and WMWD are required tomaintain a certain average and minimum annualamount of non-storm flow (base flow) at PradoDam and at the Riverside Narrows. The Santa AnaRiver Watermaster monitors and records flow andwater quality at key locations along the Santa AnaRiver to maintain a record of the amount andquality of the flow at Prado Dam. Much of themonitoring data used is obtained from the USGSas part of their annual SAR water quality and flowmonitoring programs.




Chino Basin Hydraulic Control MonitoringIn accordance with the RWQCB regulatory effortsto address the build-up of salt in the groundwaterof the Region, various agencies in the Chino Basinare working together to meet the requirements toimplement a comprehensive water qualitymonitoring program as part of their “maximumbenefit” water quality objectives on water levelsand water quality. The monitoring programincludes both surface water and groundwatercomponents. Some of the monitoringrequirements to assure downstream protectionare already being implemented, including theannual sampling of the Santa Ana River, Reach 3 atPrado Dam by RWQCB staff.

San Timoteo Water Quality MonitoringIn accordance with the RWQCB regulatory effortsto address the build-up of salt in the groundwaterof the Region, N/TDS Task Force members andother parties as appropriate, are required toimplement a comprehensive monitoring programas part of their “maximum benefit” water qualityobjectives on water levels and water quality. Themonitoring program must consist of both surfacewater and groundwater components. Thisincludes the collection of monthly measurementsof TDS and nitrogen components in San TimoteoCreek and Santa Ana River, Reaches 4 and 5.

Funding

One of the greatest obstacles toimplementing good projects inthe region is the lack of funding.While significant seed moneyand partnerships are currentlyin place for a number ofwatershed projects, there aremany more projects, both largeand small, which require funding. The year 2000estimate for the complete 10-year SAIWP programis $3 billion dollars.

Through the efforts and planning foundation ofthe SAIWP, SAWPA has been remarkably successfulin moving rapidly into project implementation

since the passage of the Proposition 13 Water Bondby the State in March 2000. This includescontracting with the State Water Resources ControlBoard to use $235 million in Proposition 13 WaterBond funds, matched with over $565 million localagency funds, to construct over $800 million inprojects that directly support the SAIWP.

Under an agreement with the SWRCB, SAWPAmanages the implementation of 23 projects in theSouthern California Integrated WatershedProgram (SCIWP) shown in Figure 1-4. Theseprojects include activities as diverse as thedevelopment/improvement of desalters, thecreation of groundwater recharge spreadingbasins, and the removal of Arundo donax, a verythirsty invasive species that is found all along thecourse of the Santa Ana River and its tributaries.Together these projects have generatedapproximately 300,000 acre-feet of new watersupply for the region at a cost to the State of lessthan $100 per acre-foot. Long term, the IWPproposes to store upwards of 1,000,000 acre-feet ofnew water supplies sufficient to withstand a three-year drought without having to import water.

SAWPA’s role in the management of this effort isdefined by 10 tasks: Stakeholder Activities, CEQAand SCIWP Review, Project Development, ContractDevelopment and Approval, Program Management,Budget and Schedule Aggregation, FinancialManagement, Project Closeout, EnvironmentalProgram, and Project Management andAdministration. A summary of the SCIWP grantfunds, anticipated benefits and schedules for eachapproved project is shown in Table 1-1. In addition,Table 1-1 presents a summary of the allocation ofProposition 13 funding, new water supplyprojection, and cost to the State to produce anacre-foot of new water.

A number of SCIWP projects have receivedachievement awards from several professionalorganizations. The following is a list of awardsreceived:


■ Association of Environmental Professionals,2003 Award for Outstanding EnvironmentalResource Document. This prestigious awardwas presented to SAWPA for Volume 2 of the2002 Santa Ana Integrated Watershed Program,the Environmental and Wetlands Component.

■ Association of California Water Agencies, 2003Clair A. Hill Award for Water Agency Excellence.This prestigious award was presented toSAWPA for the 2002 Santa Ana IntegratedWatershed Program.

■ American Society of Civil Engineers, LosAngeles Section award for “2004 OutstandingGovernment Civil Engineering Project of theYear”: Presented for the Chino BasinGroundwater Recharge Project. Thisprestigious award is shared by the InlandEmpire Utilities Agency, Chino BasinWatermaster, San Bernardino Flood ControlDistrict, and the Chino Basin WaterConservation District.

■ 2004 Santa Ana Watershed Drought ProofingAwards: City of Redlands for the City ofRedlands Recycled Water Project and InlandEmpire Utilities Agency, Chino BasinWatermaster for the Chino Basin RechargeBasin Project.

■ 2004 Santa Ana Watershed Integrated ProjectAward: Presented to City of Norco, OrangeCounty Water District, Western MunicipalWater District, and SAWPA for Completion ofthe Arlington Desalter Enhancement Project.

■ 2005 Santa Ana Watershed Drought ProofingAwards: Western Municipal Water District forCompletion of the Agricultural WaterConveyance Project and San Bernardino ValleyMunicipal Water District for the HighGroundwater Pump-Out Project.

Continuing ChallengesThe challenges of developing and maintaining awatershed process to lead the watershed to asustainable water supply is a large and difficulttask. This watershed includes over 2,650 square-miles of complex sage scrub, mountain andcoastline ecosystems, and is one of the fastestgrowing regions in the nation. Adding to this areover one-hundred water resource agencies vyingfor limited resources.

Through its collaborative IWP process SAWPAstrives to bring together the planning community,including both public and private sector planners,to advance the benefits of planning on awatershed scale. However, this process can not



address all watershed planning issues andconcerns, nor will it fit together all existing plansand policies of every agency within the watershed.

There are numerous challenges in bringingstakeholders together to develop and maintain acollaborative integrated planning approach.These challenges range from spatial andeconomic issues of need, to ideological andpolitical issues of who should benefit. Some of thechallenges faced by SAWPA include:

Climate – The extreme climate of the SantaAna River Watershed produces anenvironment of ever changing needs. TheSanta Ana River Watershed is susceptible toextended periods of drought, as well as,periods of excessive rains.

Growth – The Inland Empire area of the SantaAna River Watershed is the fastest growingregion of the State. Rapid growth hasintensified the need for planners to morefrequently update regional plans and hasexpanded the realm under which the IWPoperates.

Project Prioritization – SAWPA’s IWP processattracts a great deal of interest within theWatershed and therefore is highly competitive.SAWPA received over 180 project proposals forthis IWP update.

Institutional Challenges – Turnover of boardmembers and agency staff often disrupts thepaths of communication, creating difficulty inmaintaining the transfer of information.

Some agencies, due to the need to address theseissues, especially in light of the competitive natureof the SAWPA planning process are attempting tocreate their own specialized plans. In these cases,SAWPA coordinates with the sponsors of theseactivities, supporting their efforts and providingresources when possible. Rather than to coerceagencies into the SAWPA planning process, theintent of SAWPA’s planning process is to be awareof and integrate as many of these existing plansand policies as possible. Most importantly, thegoal is to bring important messages from thesedocuments home to the Santa Ana Watershed interms of relevant needs within the planningcommunity.

SAWPA’s IWP planning process is based on anumber of assumptions and time-dependentfactors. As part of SAWPA’s ongoing process tomanage watershed issues, it is understood thatover the course of this program, circumstancesand situations will change. These can be changesin population, water demand, economy, projecteffectiveness, environment, regulations, emergingcontaminants and a whole host of other factors.Therefore, the program cannot be left to run itscourse without continuous review andmodification to meet these new challenges.Projections and assumptions are just that. As thereal-world conditions unfold, SAWPA will workwith all the stakeholders to identify andimplement the best possible responses within theframework of the SAIWP.

Working with varied interests and agendas, thiswatershed planning process has opened the doorsto still greater partnerships, fundingopportunities, connectivity, and increasedawareness of planning projects and opportunitiesboth in the city next door and in the communityon the other side of the Watershed.

To respond to the changing environment, in July2004 SAWPA initiated an update to the SAIWPrepresented by this document. The update seeksto ensure that the very latest water resourceprojects, programs and study efforts have beenincluded in the integrated planning process.Additional public outreach forums have been heldto coincide with the integrated planning process.New State funding opportunities to assistimplementation of the SAIWP projects have beenshared with stakeholders throughout thewatershed.

This document highlights many of the projectsthat would result in improvements within theWatershed. It also identifies funding needs forthese projects.



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