By Sonia Lemus, SJV Water
The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority approved a request for $5 million in federal funding to begin construction in fiscal year 2027 of a 50-mile pipeline to import water.
The pipeline is part of the authority’s plan to bring the overdrafted Indian Wells valley groundwater basin into balance by 2040, as required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The authority’s groundwater plan, required under SGMA, was approved by the state in 2022. It includes a $2,130-per-acre-foot “replenishment fee” charged to the certain pumpers that is intended to raise $50 million to buy water on the open market.
The pipeline is a separately funded project to bring that water from the Antelope Valley.
The federal pipeline funding, $50 million in total, was approved by Congress in 2024 as part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The authority has said the pipeline will cost $200 million but the authority has said it is confident more WRDA funding will be forthcoming as the project is being built by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Detractors of the project, including the Indian Wells Valley Water District have estimated the project will cost much more than $200 million. The water district filed an adjudication action in the basin that seeks to settle questions of how much water is available to be pumped and who should have rights to that water.
At its Nov. 12 meeting, the authority voted to request the first draw on the federal pipeline funds which must then be approved by the House of Representatives. If approved, the Army Corps could begin buying materials and building water tanks.
This request for federal funding requires the authority to provide a local match.
Authority Director David Saint-Amand, who also serves as chair of the Indian Wells Valley Water district Board, asked when the authority voted to be the non-federal sponsor of the project.
Michael McKinney, president of Capital Core, consultants on the pipeline project, said there had been such a vote but could not recall the exact date.
Saint-Amand also asked if the authority had a plan to cover a $12.5 million local match that will be required on the full $50 million in federal funding.
McKinney acknowledged the authority doesn’t have a plan for that yet but that it could use state “earmarks,” Proposition 4 funding, or pay for it from the authority’s revenue.
Saint-Amand also noted that in the project description it states, “The pipeline will end at a new welded steel terminus tank at the IWVWD’s Ridgecrest Heights tank facility.” Saint-Amand said no such agreement had been reached with the water district.
McKinney said it was a suggested project description. Upon consultation with the Army Corps, the tanks could be moved to the City of Ridgecrest or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property.
Fee bump
The authority also approved an increase of $20,000 to Capital Core for “legislation efforts.”
Audience member Renee Westa-Lusk asked Authority General Manager Carol Thomas-Keefer if the authority had the money to cover the increase and Thomas-Keefer said it did.
