Coachella Valley Water District Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Facility Project

Coachella Valley Water District Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Facility Project

The proposed Project described in this EIR is a right-of-way grant for the Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Facility to continue to provide groundwater replenishment and deliver groundwater in the Coachella Valley within Riverside, Imperial, and San Diego counties. Groundwater replenishment in the Coachella Valley Groundwater Basin is critical to maintaining groundwater levels and ensuring local availability of irrigation and domestic water within CVWD’s and the Desert Water Agency’s (DWA’s) service area. The proposed Project would consist of continuation of ongoing operations and maintenance activities at the Facility including but not limited to sediment removal, dike repair, road maintenance, low-flow dike and channel crossing maintenance, and flood control berm maintenance. Maintenance activities at the Facility would continue to average approximately 60 working days per year. The Project site consists of the following two individual areas: • The “renewal area” covers a portion the existing Facility, including portions of Ponds 6 through 19, concrete-lined and earthen conveyance channels, and Intake Structure 2. This area is located on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within portions of Section 24 of Township 3 South, Range 3 east; and Sections 20, 28, and 30 of Township 3 South, Range 4 East (approximately 509.7 acres). The renewal area also includes the existing low-flow dike and channel crossing on a portion of Section 14, Township 3 South, Range 3 East (approximately 2.2 acres). • The “amendment area” consists of public lands administered by the BLM that are used to access the Facility and for conveyance of natural flows and Colorado River water, includes portions of Sections 23 and 24 of Township 3 South, Range 3 East (approximately 178.83 acres).

Unincorporated Area

Riverside

Countywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy (CVMC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Inland Deserts Region 6 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 8 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Energy Commission, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Colorado River Basin Region 7 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Colorado River Board, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights

Water Facilities (Grounwater Replenishment)(Type Replenishment, MGD 463.33)

ROW Renewal

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Noise, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wildfire