Mesa Water To Receive $1.6 Million Grant To Help Enhance Local Groundwater Production Capacity

COSTA MESA, Calif.; May 12, 2021 — Mesa Water District (Mesa Water®) is pleased to announce it will receive a $1.6 million grant to help improve water supply reliability in the region.

As part of a California Department of Water Resources (DWR) $55 million multi-year grant that was awarded to five regional water agencies in the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, Mesa Water is eligible to receive funding for the construction of Croddy Well 14, one of two new wells that will increase local groundwater production capacity.

Construction for Croddy Well 14, which can produce approximately 4,000 gallons per minute, is scheduled for completion in winter 2022. The funds will be available to Mesa Water once construction is completed and terms of the grant agreement have been met.

“Mesa Water ratepayers will benefit for generations from the DWR grant, these funds go directly to expanding our groundwater supplies,” said Marice H. DePasquale, Mesa Water Board President. “Increased production from Mesa Water’s new wells help ensure local and reliable water for decades to come.”

The DWR $55 million grant was awarded to Orange County Water District (OCWD), Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Western Municipal Water District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and Eastern Municipal Water District. OCWD received $8 million of the DWR grant and selected Mesa Water along with four other water agencies to receive $1.6 million each to support the construction of new groundwater production wells.

The grant program includes the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program (SARCCUP), a collaborative groundwater banking program that will provide a regional watershed-scale approach toward long-term groundwater basin management and replenishment, allowing the participating agencies to collectively plan for extended dry periods. The watershed is the area drained by the Santa Ana River. All water districts will be able to use an equal portion when additional water is needed during times of drought. 

The grant’s funds are provided by Proposition 84 (The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006).