Water Agencies Complete $169M Groundwater Program

Five Southern California agencies finished a 10-year Santa Ana River project designed to store water underground and restore habitat.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Utilities

Water Agencies Complete $169M Groundwater Program

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Five Southern California water agencies completed the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program, a 10-year effort totaling about $169 million. The completed program was celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Riverside Art Museum.

Why it matters

The program captures stormwater during rainy periods and stores it underground for use during droughts, with the goal of improving water supply reliability and limiting cost increases for residents. Its investments are also meant to support habitat for a federally protected fish.

The $169 million program, funded by $55 million in Proposition 84 money and about $114 million in local and additional cost share, could support approximately 137,000 acre-feet of groundwater storage across six basins. Storage totals are subject to water availability and operating conditions, which the program does not control.

The players

Eastern Municipal Water District

A Southern California water agency serving the Inland Empire and a leading participant in the regional program.

Orange County Water District

The agency that manages groundwater supplies for north and central Orange County and participated in the program.

The details

The Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program was led by Eastern Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Orange County Water District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and Western Municipal Water District. It included $5 million in restoration of Anza Creek and Hidden Valley Creek, tributary streams that provide habitat for the federally protected Santa Ana sucker fish.

10-year period: Project development and construction of the program.
2006: Voters passed Proposition 84 to fund water projects.
Monday: Ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Riverside Art Museum.

Roadmap

The program is funded in part by Proposition 84, the 2006 California bond measure that paid for water projects statewide, and it extends that investment into regional groundwater banking. Warmer Pacific Ocean temperatures are predicted to bring wetter storms this year, which could increase flooding in some areas and make stormwater capture more valuable.

Residents served by these agencies may see steadier water supply and limited cost increases over time, as stormwater is captured and stored underground. The program's benefits depend on wet-year conditions, so the immediate effect on individual water bills is not specified.

The takeaway

Regional groundwater banking can reduce drought exposure by storing stormwater when supplies are plentiful. Residents interested in local water supply plans should review their own water agency's conservation and storage updates.