Greenwell:
After the last series of Pacific storms driven by atmospheric river conditions that pummeled our region, I spoke with Betsy Miller, General Manager at the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District to touch base on the storms impact on groundwater recapture in the region.
Miller:
Since rain began falling in Southern California in early February, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District in Redlands, California, has collected nearly 750-million gallons of storm water for recharge into the aquifer.
Greenwell:
And if this sounds promising, but you're not sure how it translates…
Miller:
The water collected from the recent storms is enough to cover the indoor water use needs of 43,000 Inland Empire residents for a year. Work that was completed at the cost of $39,000, or less than one dollar, per person, per year. Combined with recycled and imported water, this type of active stewardship of local groundwater supplies is a critical piece of our regional water reliability strategy.
Greenwell:
And as many water agencies across the state look to enhance groundwater recapture, the conservation district has a lot of practice, and has collected a lot of water. And while this recent storm was very exciting…
Miller:
…It’s a drop in the bucket to the 500-billion gallons that we have collected since 1912.
Greenwell:
For KVCR News, I'm Jessica Greenwell.