Press release from the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority:
Water recycling — the advanced treatment of wastewater for use in agricultural irrigation or even potable drinking water — has become an indispensable component of modern water management. Nonetheless, water experts agree that recycling water alone is an insufficient strategy for true long-term water resilience.
This is particularly relevant as it pertains to the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin, which after decades of unchecked withdrawals from the basin, is now in a state of critical overdraft. Recent announcements from the Indian Wells Valley Water District are suggesting that water recycling, by itself, can address the region’s severe groundwater challenges.
The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, the agency legally tasked with managing the region’s long-term water supply, acknowledges that recycled water can play a valuable role in maintaining local groundwater sustainability, but in and of itself, is not enough.
“We support an ‘all of the above’ approach to addressing our water-shortage issues and appreciate the role recycled water can play in our overall supply mix,” said Scott Hayman, chair of the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority. “Recycling is commonly used by water districts throughout the state, especially for agriculture and industrial uses. However, there is not a single district in the state able to rely on recycled water exclusively; rather, it serves as a supplemental source.”
Hayman noted that in late 2023, the IWVGA Board received an updated analysis detailing the costs — including construction, operations and maintenance — associated with a proposed Recycled Water Project. The study found that not only is the amount of wastewater available for recycling inadequate for addressing the Valley’s supply shortfalls, but also that the per-unit cost of recycled water would significantly increase water rates. In response, the Board voted unanimously to reject the option to build a new water treatment plant and instead concentrate on securing water from a source outside the Valley.
The Reality of Importing Water
California’s unique geography means that most of its population and agricultural land are in the drier central and southern parts of the state, while most of its precipitation falls in the wetter north. This fundamental imbalance led to the development of vast and complex water infrastructure, that has made imported water a foundational element of the state’s water supply for over a century.
To put this in perspective, Southern California typically relies on imported water for more than half of its total supply, with some major urban centers drawing as much as 70-80%. Similarly, the Central Valley’s agricultural sector is overwhelmingly dependent on federal and state imported water projects.
To address the critical overdraft problem of the region, the state approved a Groundwater Sustainability Plan that gave the region the ability to import additional water to the Indian Wells Valley basin through a connection to the State Water Project. The Indian Wells Valley Water Replenishment Pipeline will largely use state and federal funding to connect our basin to the State Water Project.
The efforts to import water are being made to ensure that Ridgecrest, U.S. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and the rest of the Indian Wells Valley have a sustainable water source. Without another source of water, according to well documented modeling research, there will be a steady decline of water quality, and it is likely to completely run out within 40 years.
Water Recycling is Too Little, Too Late
According to Hayman, the Authority’s extensive analysis found that while recycling is perhaps a necessary element of an overall sustainability effort, it is hardly sufficient. “The amount of water available for recycling is inadequate for addressing the Valley’s supply shortfalls. The city of Ridgecrest simply does not produce enough wastewater to supply the Valley’s needs. In short, recycling can help our situation, but relying on it exclusively presents enormous long-term risks to residents and businesses here,” he said.
Moreover, Hayman added, producing recycled water in this region is significantly more expensive than proponents claim.
“Instead of working with us to fast track a dependable water source, the water district is now throwing around misleading cost estimates that seem designed to obfuscate rather than clarify the situation,” said Hayman. “For example, the $2,000 per acre foot estimate the district cites only covers production costs; it does not consider either construction or financing costs, which are considerable.”
Moreover, Hayman added, the water district is seeking to confuse people by comparing the cost of recycled water in places like Orange County with estimates for the Indian Wells Valley.
“Comparing the situation in a densely populated area like Orange County with the Indian Wells Valley is absurd,” he said. “The Orange County Water District’s recycling project took years to develop, is highly technical and uses several energy-intensive treatment processes. Moreover, the OCWD has its own lab, an extremely experienced technical staff, and a huge and costly infrastructure supporting its recycled water purification project. Finally, even with advance recycling capabilities, they still rely on imported water for some 50% of its needs.”
Ironically, the adjudication efforts filed by the water district to stop the imported water pipeline has the unintended consequence of keeping any serious recycled water plans moving forward, as they are also subject to results of the adjudication. Meanwhile, the groundwater keeps getting overdrafted at the expense of future water reliability in the basin.
About the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority
The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) is the groundwater sustainability agency for the critically overdrafted Indian Wells Valley groundwater basin. The basin spans portions of Kern, Inyo, and San Bernardino Counties. It is home to the City of Ridgecrest and the U.S. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a critical low-flight, weapons development, and testing facility. The groundwater basin serves approximately 38,000 residents.
IWVGA is a joint powers authority that includes representatives from Kern County, the City of Ridgecrest, Inyo County, San Bernardino County, and the Indian Wells Valley Water District. Two federal agencies, the United States Navy and the Bureau of Land Management, are also represented as ex-officio members of the IWVGA Board.
