1. Overview of Indian Wells Valley Hydrogeology and Management Presenters

2. Location

3. DWR B-118 Basin 6-54 Kern, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties 382,000 acres (597 sq mi) 4-inch ave ppt 2,150-2,400 feet elevation valley floor Closed, internally drained basin

4. Institutional Setting

5. City of Ridgecrest Incorporated 1963 - Population ~30,000 Major Employers --NAWS - 3500 --Searles Minerals - 600 --School District - 600--Hospital – 300 General Plan encourages --LID approaches--Expand recycled water --Increased conservation --Protect groundwater Provides 1.4MGD reclaimed water to NAWS golf course

6. Indian Wells Valley Water District Formed in 1955 as Ridgecrest County Water District by consolidating several smaller domestic services water companies under CWC Division 12, and modified through several Improvements Districts (Assessment District 82-1, 87-1 & 91-1) Service area 38 sq mi (8 sq mi public lands) Services domestic, residential, institutional water; construction of rights of ways; fire protection; recreation; and emergency water restrictions. Provides water to approximately 12,000 connections Operates 10 active water supply wells Actively pursuing water conservation and water use efficiency, addressing arsenic, and improving water supply

7. China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station

8. Kern County Water Agency

9. Searles Valley Minerals

10. Indian Wells Valley Cooperative Groundwater Management Group Water levels have declined in areas within the Valley. As depth to groundwater increases, production and distribution costs will increase. As depth to groundwater increases, the potential exists for poorer quality water to mix with and degrade higher quality water. Some portion of the recharge to the Valley from the Sierra Nevada may be lost to evaporation in the China Lake playa. Our understanding of the geohydrology of the Valley is based on groundwater quantity and quality data collected from available production and monitoring wells located throughout much of the Valley. – The recharge and discharge characteristics of the aquifer are not fully understood. – Adequacy of the known groundwater reserves to meet future demands shall be determined.

11. Indian Wells Valley Cooperative Groundwater Management Group 1995 – formed to manage the basin cooperatively “Memorandum of Understanding” Naval Air Weapons Station Kern County Water Agency City of Ridgecrest Inyokern Community Services District Bureau of Land Management Indian Wells Valley Water District Searles Valley Minerals Quist Farms Eastern Kern County Resources Conservation District

12. Indian Wells Valley Cooperative Groundwater Management Group Purpose Set forth guidelines and management principles for the production, distribution, and use of groundwater within the purview of the participants. Further develop (cooperatively or individually) the technical data and analytical capabilities to better understand the nature and characteristics of the watershed and aquifer system. Apply these guidelines toward sound management practices to extend the useful life of the groundwater resource to meet current and foreseeable future demands. Coordinate interested local agencies and water producers into a cooperative planning effort to share information and management practices to maintain the life of the resource.

13. Indian Wells Valley Cooperative Groundwater Management Group 1.Limit additional large scale pumping in areas that appear to be adversely impacted. 2.Distribute new groundwater extraction within the Valley in a manner that will minimize adverse effects to existing groundwater conditions (levels and quality), and maximize the long-term supply within the Valley. 3.Aggressively pursue the development and implementation of water conservation policy and education programs. 4.Encourage the use of treated water, reclaimed water, recycled, gray and lower quality water where appropriate and economically feasible. 5.Explore the potential for other types of water management programs that are beneficial to the Valley. 6.Continue cooperative efforts to develop information and data which contributes to further defining and better understanding the groundwater resource in the Indian Wells Valley. 7.Develop an inter-agency management framework to implement and enforce the objectives of this Plan.

14. Indian Wells Valley Background Studies

15. AB303 Study 2003 - Groundwater Management in the Indian Wells Valley Basin

16. AB303 Study 2008 - Groundwater Monitoring Program in the Indian Wells Valley Basin

17. Indian Wells Valley Tectonic Setting

18. Indian Wells Valley Geology

19. Indian Wells Valley Basin Hydrogeology

21. Indian Wells Valley Conceptual Model

22. Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Monitoring Program

23. Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Flow

24. Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Pumping

25. Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Budget

26. Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Flow Model

27. Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Challenges Groundwater Quantity – Basin groundwater levels declining 1 to 1 ½ ft/yr – Some rural well issues with these shallower wells Groundwater Quality – Salinity – Arsenic

28. Current/Future Efforts Participating in the Inyo Mono IRWMP Brackish Water Supply Increasing Conservation Shifting Pumping to Reduce Localized Drawdown CASGEM Monitoring Program Aquifer Testing in Southwest Basin Updating the Groundwater Management Plan

29. Current/Future Efforts Participating in the Inyo Mono IRWMP Over 40 federal, state, regional and county agencies, organizations and private stakeholders from Easter Sierra Nevada Facilitation and participation from DWR at Inyo Mono IRWMP meetings Completed the IRWMP in January 2011 Projects submitted and undergoing review – IWVWD Brackish Water Project

30. Current/Future Efforts Brackish Water Supply

31. Current/Future Efforts Increasing Conservation

32. Current/Future Efforts Shifting Pumping to Reduce Localized Drawdown

33. Current/Future Efforts CASGEM Monitoring Program

34. Current/Future Efforts Aquifer Testing in Southwest Basin

35. Current/Future Efforts Updating the Groundwater Management Plan