San Gorgornio Pass Artificial Recharge Investigation

Project Chief: Allen Christensen

San Gorgornio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) covers an area of 220 square miles in the mountain pass between the Upper Santa Ana River Basin to the west and the Coachella Valley to the east. Since 1961, when the SGPWA was formed, demand for ground water has increased with the increase in population within the agency boundaries. To prepare for future demands for water, the SGPWA has proposed to conjunctively use local ground water and imported State Water Project water in the Beaumont, Banning, and Cabazon storage units.

The objectives of the study are to identify, characterize, and evaluate potential artificial-recharge sites in the Beaumont, Banning, and Cabazon storage units of the SGPWA. The evaluation of the sites will include numerical modeling of the unsaturated and saturated flow systems and the utilization of optimization techniques to help evaluate different conjunctive use alternatives. Data collected from ground-water-level, ground-water-quality, and recharge monitoring networks are used to evaluate existing conditions and changes in the regional aquifer and the unsaturated zone surrounding existing recharge facilities.

Contact Information

Allen Christensen
Office phone: 619-225-6100

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