By Marco Tule, President, Inland Empire Utilities Agency
As President of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) Board of Directors, I believe it is necessary to respond to the recent press release issued by the City of Ontario. The press release makes egregious and unfounded accusations about IEUA’s rate setting process and the Chino Basin Program, a widely supported series of projects that will add tremendous value to all of the jurisdictions that overlay the Chino Groundwater Basin serving nearly one million people.
It is important to first note that IEUA has maintained transparency throughout the rate setting process through a series of public meetings beginning on March 5. In fact, we were commended by a citizen of the city of Ontario for how transparent we have been through this process, in comparison to Ontario’s budget process. IEUA’s Board of Directors will consider adoption of the proposed rates on April 16 to ensure that its customer agencies have time for their Proposition 218 processes. While our Board of Directors certainly does not prefer to increase rates, it is critically important that we balance the protection of our community’s public health and safety, the responsible maintenance of the region’s sewer system, the development of vital local water supplies, and rate affordability with escalating costs of doing business and the growing and evolving needs of our community. Access to the Agency’s draft cost-of-service study is available on our website: IEUA Right Now | IEUA. The city of Ontario knows firsthand the challenges with the increasing cost of doing business, having just themselves significantly increased development impact fees for the next two years, some by as much as 38%.
The city’s press release has conflated the rate setting process with the Chino Basin Program (CBP) in an attempt to draw negative attention. While it is unfortunate that the city still does not understand or appreciate the value of the CBP, we recognize that each of our customer agencies is entitled to its own opinion. However, it is irresponsible for any public agency to intentionally distribute misinformation about an organization or project with clearly malicious intent. In the interest of brevity, I do want to clarify just one of the many significant mischaracterizations in the article/press release regarding water allocation.
The CBP will produce 15,000 acre-feet-per-year of advanced purified water that will directly benefit local communities within the Chino Basin. One acre foot of water can serve approximately three to four households annually. This recycled water was previously not able to be captured and stored within our service area for use by our customer agencies and instead was being sent down the Santa Ana River. This additional water supply represents a crucial investment in regional water security, not a diversion to state interests as boldly misstated by the city. The CBP was thoughtfully designed as a multi-benefit partnership that addresses both local and regional water management challenges. It will enhance groundwater storage, improve water quality, and provide drought resilience for our communities. The state of California has conditionally awarded $215 million for the CBP in order to reduce the reliance on imported water by participating agencies during certain years.
While the project costs have increased since the project was originally conceptualized in 2015, as expected given inflationary pressures, IEUA has remained transparent and continues to demonstrate its commitment to comprehensive planning and thorough evaluation of all project elements. The IEUA Board has carefully reviewed these adjustments through dozens of public meetings and will continue to assess this project as planning proceeds. For those interested in learning more about the Chino Basin Program, including detailed project information, financial analyses, and community benefits, please visit our dedicated website: HOME | Chino Basin Program
IEUA remains committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure a sustainable water future for our region. It is our sincere hope that rather than attempting to tarnish our Agency’s stellar reputation through the press and persistent, unfounded, and costly litigation that the city would instead recognize that working with IEUA and other partners will yield tremendous wins for the public we all serve. We remain ready to change the tenor of this incredibly negative and damaging relationship should the city accept that collaboration is more fruitful and less costly to ratepayers than its current litigious and confrontational approach.
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CITY OF ONTARIO: Local taxpayer funding diverted to state-focused project
Press release from the City of Ontario: The City of Ontario urges Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) to practice transparency as the Agency advances its extensive Chino Basin Program (CBP). IEUA, in concert with six cities and a local water utility, established a technical advisory and policy committee to advise the IEUA Board of Directors on projects such as these. IEUA, however, fails to respect this multi-jurisdictional approach by obscuring the funding process for the CBP. “Our efforts to create […]
