The following are links to the IWRP Final Report and Appendices:
Final IWRP Report
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
Appendix F
Appendix G
Appendix H
Appendix I
For more information regarding the IWRP, please contact the District office at (909) 336-7100.
The District hired RMC Water and Environment in March 2006 to manage a one-year program that will result in an IWRP that provides near-, mid- and long-term solutions to address the District’s potential water supply shortfalls.
A project advisory committee (PAC) for the IWRP was established with the purpose of providing the District information and input on developing and evaluating water supply and demand management portfolio alternatives as well as the implementation strategies associated with the selected solutions.
Background Information
Prior to 2003, Lake Arrowhead served as the sole source of water supply for the Arrowhead Woods community. Beginning in 2002, in response to multi-year drought conditions and a declining lake level, the District began development and implementation of new water management initiatives. The goal of these original initiatives was to reduce the community’s reliance on Lake Arrowhead by reducing demand and developing supplemental water supplies.
As a result of these initiatives and improved weather conditions, customer demand has declined by approximately 26% (below 2002 water draw) and the District has brought on-line the following supplemental water sources: local groundwater, one permanent source of SWP water and one temporary (10-15 year) source of SWP water. The level of Lake Arrowhead has returned to full and in 2005 and 2006 substantial quantities of lake water flowed over the Willow Creek Spillway.
The District’s current management of water resources is fully described in two planning documents: Water Demand and Supply Final Report, October 2003 and the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan
Currently the District’s water resource management needs are clearly defined and quantified, and will require development of more sustainable water supplies and management strategies than used in the past. These needs have been shaped in a large measure by three recent developments: 1) a multiple-year drought beginning in 2000 that resulted in a significant lake drawdown; 2) a resulting voluntary agreement in November 2005 with the ALA; and 3) a SWRCB Order issued in January 2006.
The ALA Agreement and SWRCB Order, taken together, limit the amount of water the District can withdraw from Lake Arrowhead. The SWRCB Order imposes an absolute limit of 1,566 afy beginning in 2008. The ALA agreement contains additional restrictions that are intended to sustain the elevation of the lake at or above 5,100 feet (ALA Datum), or approximately 6.7 feet below the Willow Creek Spillway elevation. The District’s preliminary estimate of the long-term average amount of water that can be supplied from Lake Arrowhead is approximately 1,310 afy. This estimate will be reevaluated and, if appropriate, revised during the development of the IWRP.
The District’s current water demand is approximately 2,600 afy. At full build-out (in approximately 2030), the District’s projected water demand is 3,100 afy. Note that this later figure does not recognize additional demand reductions the District is seeking to achieve through the IWRP. The District requires but does not have in place sufficient, permanent reliable sources of water supply to meet these demands. Equally, if not more important, the District does not have sufficient dry-year or multiple dry year period sources of supply to meet demands.
In response to these conditions the District Board of Directors declared a water shortage emergency. This declaration authorizes the District to restrict the use of District water for nonessential uses so that the water supply can be conserved for the greatest public benefit with particular regard to domestic use, sanitation and fire protection. Examples of recently enacted restrictions are an annual limitation of 60 new connections per year to the water system; restrictions applicable to these new connections that prohibit landscaping that would require the use of District water and a system-wide prohibition forbidding the installation of any new turf grass that requires District water.
The water shortage emergency declaration and enacted restrictions reflect the current conditions and the need to conserve water until more permanent, reliable sources of water are available for District customers, especially in years of drought. Such a declaration is legal under Water Code Sections 350 and 71640, which allow the District to declare a water shortage emergency based upon a future and threatened water shortage.
In February 2006, the District Board of Directors adopted its first Strategic Plan. As outlined in this Strategic Plan, the District’s vision during the next 15 years is to become a national model for:
- water conservation
- community involvement
- resources management
- the effective use of technology
- cost-effectiveness
The successful development and implementation of an Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP) are crucial steps for the realization of this vision. The primary purpose of the IWRP will be to develop the policies, programs and capital improvement plans necessary to fully achieve the District’s water resource management goals.