First phase of multipurpose groundwater storage and delivery project unveiled in Antelope Valley

LANCASTER, Calif. (CNS)-- After three years of building, water authorities revealed Monday the conclusion of the very first stage of a groundwater storage task they state will "" significantly increase"" Southern California'& #x 27; s supply of water in the face "of a "quickly altering environment.
". Authorities from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency gathered in Lancaster to commemorate the High Desert Water Bank, which will enable Metropolitan to save water from the State Water Project in the Antelope Valley groundwater basin.
The State Water Project is a multi-purpose water storage and delivery system that extends more than 705 miles to 27 million Californians, 750,000 acres of farmland and organizations throughout the state, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
"" This financial investment makes all our communities better gotten ready for the weather extremes that we increasingly face,"" Adán Ortega Jr., MWD board chair, said during an event Monday morning. "" We know that environment change will bring more of the remarkable swings between dry and damp that we saw over the last couple of years, so we need to take every opportunity to store water when it is available.
"" The great news is, we finished this operate in time to make the most of this historically wet year,"" he included. At 280,000 acre-feet, authorities state the water bank'& #x 27; s capability is similar in size to Castaic Lake-- nearly the size of Lake Perris and four times the capability of Big Bear Lake.
The water bank will enable Metropolitan to annually withdraw and keep up to 70,000 acre-feet of water-- sufficient to serve the yearly needs of 210,000 Southern California homes.
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According to water officials, the water bank will take water directly from the East Branch of the State Water Project'& #x 27; s California Aqueduct and move it into recharge basins, where it percolates into the underlying aquifer. When water is needed, it can be drained utilizing freshly developed wells and provided to Southern California communities through the California Aqueduct.
Matthew Knudson, general supervisor of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, stated they developed the task to ensure it offers "" optimal advantage"" to SoCal communities. He added, "" This water will be available throughout extreme dry spells or emergencies, when there is restricted other water readily available through the State Water Project.
According to Adel Hagekhalil, basic supervisor of Metropolitan, the water bank will minimize SoCal'& #x 27; s dependence on the Colorado River-- which deals with a "" structural imbalance and needs significant lowerings by all river uses."".
Hagekhalil likewise called on SoCal residents to be more efficient with their water usage, and added, "" Metropolitan is likewise making big financial investments to adapt to future tensions on our water supplies."".
Water officials, throughout the event, announced a procedure called the Climate Adaption Master Plan for Water, which is intended to assist determine the types of additional investments needed for water system dependability in reaction to a changing climate.
The partnership in between Metropolitan and Antelope Valley-East Kern to build the High Water Bank started in 2019.
Metropolitan supplied $211 million for building of the job on Antelope Valley-East Kern property that was formerly farmland and uninhabited land.
Water officials said the first phase of the project resulted in the building of the stage 1 recharge basins, which are around 40% of the overall recharge location; 10 healing wells; 5 tracking wells; and the turn- in/turn-out centers from the California Aqueduct.
Antelope Valley-East Kern is currently developing the phase 2 recharge basins and over the next number of years will build 17 extra healing wells for a total of 27 wells, and an arsenic treatment facility.
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The High Desert Water Bank is anticipated to be completely functional in 2027.
"" This is a shining example of a multi-benefit job that is good for AVEK and Metropolitan consumers, the Antelope Valley, and all of Southern California,"" George Lane, AVEK board president, stated in a declaration. "" We hope this project showcases what is possible when 2 companies commit to shared objective of water sustainability."".