East Valley Water District, simply referred to locally as the “District,” is located in San Bernardino County and was formed by local election in 1954 to provide water service to the unincorporated and agriculture-based community. Over the years, it has expanded to include sewer service. The District operates with a community-elected Board of Directors, including five residents representing their neighbors, and a general manager and staff. The District does not receive revenue from property tax and operates solely on rates paid for services by its more than 104,000 customers.
A press release on September 6, 2022, announced the District was recently awarded $1.1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to fund a seismic retrofit study of the District’s water main. The study will include main line assessments, project designs, and a prevention plan to enhance water system reliability in the event of an earthquake. The grant will fund Phase 1 of the District’s Water Main Seismic Retrofit Study to enhance
resiliency of the potable water system.
“East Valley Water District works collaboratively with State and Federal partners to identify funding sources to maintain a reliable water system,” commented East Valley Water District Board Chairman Phillip R. Goodrich. “We are fortunate to have been awarded this specialized grant, which will help fund our ongoing emergency resiliency programs.”
Upon completion of the study, the District will become eligible to receive additional funding available through FEMA. During the secondary funding phases, East Valley Water District could receive funding needed to retrofit pipelines identified during the study.
“East Valley Water District works hard to provide world-class service for our community, making the District competitive for these Federal grants,” stated Brian Tompkins, Interim General Manager/CEO. “As a rate-based water and wastewater service provider, grants like these allow East Valley Water District to make significant system investments without having to pass along those costs to customers.”
For more information about East Valley Water District, please visit eastvalley.org.