1. Riverside’s Water Development

2. Location of riverside

3. Early riverside Southern California Colony Association, 1870
First Santa Ana River diversion, 1871
1869, Silk Center Association of Southern California was organized, establishing a colony to promote raw silk production. However, shortly after the colony was established, the Silk expert died.
John W North & his organization purchased the controlling interests in the lands held by the Silk Center, and founded the Southern California Colony Association.
This colony would become the town of Riverside in 1870, 20 years after California became a state.
The Colony built the Riverside Canal and began diverting water from the Santa Ana River in 1871.
Construction of 2 more canals would follow, ultimately extending into the prolific water supply of the Bunker Hill Basin in San Bernardino.

4. Citrus
Riverside became the 1st community to embark upon commercial citrus, beginning in the 1870s.
In 1875, the first navel orange trees came to the area thanks to the Tibbets family and a friend they had at the US Department of Agriculture.
With the ability to ship out oranges via the rail road, and having plenty of water available, Riverside’s citrus industry boomed.
By 1882 there were more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half of which were in Riverside.
Photo on the left is President Theodore Roosevelt replanting one of the parent trees at the Mission Inn Hotel, circa 1903.

5. Early Water development
By the late 1880’s, the Riverside Water Company and Gage Canal began drilling artesian wells in San Bernardino, supplementing the decreasing perennial surface water supplies in the Santa Ana River.
The Picture on the left is the headworks of the Riverside Water Company (circa 1888), and on the right is the headworks of the Gage Canal (1880s).
Artesian wells were common in the San Bernardino area because the basin is a tilted basin blocked off by the San Jacinto Fault and capped with a clay layer. The wells that penetrated the clay layer tapped into an aquifer that was under a great pressure.

6. Upper left, Riverside Canal along Brockton Ave, 1880s
Upper right, boys fishing at the Gage Canal headworks, 1880s
Bottom left, Riverside Canal Headworks
Bottom center, Irrigating an Orange Grove in Riverside, circa 1902
Bottom right, streetcar along the Riverside Canal

7. Water Rights Established Riparian & Appropriative Rights Consolidation
Beginning in 1871, Riverside’s early Water Companies continued to work towards establishing water rights by purchasing land with prior rights, investing in historical diversions and companies, and developing water at select landholdings.
In 1913, Riverside issued a $1.1 million dollar bond to purchase 3 water distribution companies to form the municipal water utility. Over the years, Riverside continued to invest in mutual water companies, developing and protecting its water interests.
Riverside would ultimately invest in at least 2 dozen water right interests over the years.

8. 1969 Judgment
An increase in population following World War 2, followed by a prolonged drought lead to tensions in the Watershed and regional lawsuits beginning in 1951 with Orange County filing suit against agencies in the upper watershed.
Additional lawsuits followed that eventually lead to more than 4,000 parties becoming included in litigation.
After many years of tensions, science, and negotiation; all agencies came to an agreement. A physical solution was developed to satisfy surface water flows for Orange County (In the Orange County Judgment).
The 1969 Judgment also included the Western-San Bernardino Judgment, which adjudicated groundwater rights in the Upper Watershed.

9. Riverside’s Water Rights
Extraction/Export Rights
Bunker Hill
55,263 AFY Export
Colton
2,728 AFY Export
Riverside North
10,902 AFY Export
Riverside South
16,880 AFY Extraction
85,773 AFY Total
Riverside’s Groundwater Rights overlay an area of approximately 142,000 acres
Olympic Size Swimming Pool
~ 2 Acre-feet

10. GOOD STEWARDS OF A PRECIOUS RESCOURCE
The 1969 Judgment limits extractions from the San Bernardino Basin Area (SBBA) to the amount of water that naturally recharges the basins.
Riverside has kept its annual extractions within the limits set forth in the Judgement.
Riverside has voluntarily invested in recharge projects within the SBBA to further enhance local storm water capture.
The 1969 Judgment limits extractions from the San Bernardino Basin Area (SBBA) to no more than about 3% of the total storage capacity of the basin.
We’ve invested in recharge facilities below Seven Oaks Dam.

11. Cross Section of Bunker Hill

12. Investment
Nearly 150 years ago, Riverside started putting surface water to beneficial use.
Nearly 50 years ago, the Upper Santa Ana groundwater basin was adjudicated, confirming Riverside’s right to pump groundwater.
Because of these rights, Riverside has invested over $100 million in infrastructure to perfect its water rights.
Left photo in Pipeline below Seven Oaks Dam, used to carry local storm water to recharge basins for groundwater augmentation
Right photo is Evans Reservoir
(Big Projects, Big Investment)

13. Water Infrastructure 65,428 meters 56 Domestic wells
144 Booster station pumps
1,003 miles of pipeline
6 Treatment Plants
16 Reservoirs
Our wells range in depth from 500-feet to 1300-feet, and can produce up to 2,700 gpm
Our pipelines range in size from 2-inches to 6-feet
Our 16 reservoirs provide a total capacity of over 100 million gallons
Picture is of a groundwater well – pump assembly

14. Future projects Storm Water Recharge Recycled Water
Riverside has partnered with San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and Western Municipal Water District to construct additional recharge facilities below Seven Oaks Dam, located in Mentone.
Following completion of the dam in 2000, the project partners appropriated water rights to capture and beneficially use the new storm water captured behind the dam
The Project Partners are currently enhancing recharge facilities located below the dam, to capture a flow of up to 500 cfs
Riverside is also working with the same partners to develop additional storm water capture projects utilizing inflatable dams
Riverside is actively constructing the first phase of its recycled system, the Jackson Alignment phase 1 (right photo).
Riverside has also partnered on a regional effort to create a Habitat Conservation Plan for the Upper Santa Ana Region. This HCP would mitigate all the impacts due to the regions future water supply projects and provide assurance that construction of these projects would occur in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

15. Community Investment Public & Private Partnerships Conservation
Public Partnerships: Western Municipal Water District / MWD, assist with facilitating conservation funding
Private Partnerships: City Staff worked with many private organization to help cut water use during the drought, some include Bourns, Toro & Kaiser
Bourns replaced over 3 acres of grass with water wise landscaping
In addition to partnering with Toro on their free sprinkler program, the City also has a working relationship by providing recycled water to a Toro facility.
The City has numerous Conservation Programs and public outreach programs, with the end goal of promoting sustainability, education, and conservation.
Riverside cut 22% of it’s water use during the emergency drought conditions in 2015 and Since the drought mandate was lifted (including mandatory outside watering restrictions) about 50% of the demand has returned. We’ve voluntarily reduced our water demand by about 8,000 acre-ft/yr from pre-drought levels.

16. STATE WATER BOARD’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Developing Water Resources in an Orderly Manner (First in Time, First in Right)
Preventing Waste and Unreasonable Use of Water
Protecting the Environment
In making Water Rights decisions, the State Water Board must keep three major goals in mind:
Developing Water Resources in an Orderly Manner
Preventing Waste and Unreasonable Use of Water
Protecting the Environment

17. How Do We Grow?
Maybe a picture of downtown Riverside could be added?