The San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) and the City of Ventura, California have finalized a water transfer agreement that significantly increases supplies for Pass-area communities over the next 20 years, according to an SGPWA press release.
The agreement brings SGPWA’s State Water Project (SWP) allocation to as much as 27,300 acre-feet per year, enough water to supply about 81,900 families for a year. SGPWA imports supplemental water to recharge area groundwater basins and sell to local retail water providers.
SWP allocations vary annually based on state water conditions. This year’s snowpack has resulted in a 100% allocation, a number that rose over the past few months due to unexpected levels of precipitation. The last time this happened was in 2006. This means SGPWA will have access to the full 10,000 acre-feet of Ventura water this year.
“Recent increases in State Water Project allocations are a welcome relief after drought impacts. This partnership gives us the ability to immediately move additional water into the area to replenish groundwater supplies,” said Larry Smith, SGPWA’s Board of Directors president. “With more severe and frequent droughts expected, storing this water for future use is critical to long-term water sustainability for the communities we serve.”
Under the agreement, SGPWA will receive Ventura’s entire SWP allocation, up to 10,000 acre-feet of water per year, from 2022 until the city completes its own pipeline to receive SWP supplies. After that, Ventura has the option to retain up to 2,000 acre-feet per year, with any remaining water going to SGPWA. The goal was to finalize the agreement in 2022 and it was approved by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on December 29, 2022.
SGPWA has purchased all or part of Ventura’s SWP allocations on a single-year basis since 2018, but this is the first multi-year deal.
In exchange for the water, SGPWA will pay Ventura’s annual fixed costs for the SWP in full until Ventura’s connection to the SWP is built and for 60% of the yearly fixed costs after that through 2042. SGPWA has the option to use the transferred water in its service area, store it, deliver it to a water bank, or sell it.
