Politics & Government

Yucaipa Valley Water District Officials Celebrate Brine Line to San Bernardino

The pipeline has been under construction the past five years, and it connects Yucaipa Valley Water District's Henry Wochholz Regional Water Recycling Facility in San Timoteo Canyon with the Inland Empire Brine Line in San Bernardino.

The Yucaipa Valley Water District, which serves Yucaipa and Calimesa, is planning to celebrate completion of a 15-mile-long brine line from Yucaipa to San Bernardino on Thursday Oct. 18.

The pipeline has been under construction the past five years, and it connects Yucaipa Valley Water District's Henry Wochholz Regional Water Recycling Facility in San Timoteo Canyon with the Inland Empire Brine Line in San Bernardino, according to Joseph Zoba, general manager of Yucaipa Valley Water District.

"This is a significant milestone for the district as we work to diversify our water sources, make more efficient use of our water resources and support local economic growth," Zoba said.

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Congressman Jerry Lewis and other local officials are expected to take part in a dedication ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Thursday Oct. 18, at the Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Filtration Facility at 35477 Oak Glen Road in Yucaipa, Zoba said.

"The dedication ceremony is taking place there instead of at the Henry Wolchholz Regional Water Recycling Facility, where the brine line is located, because of ongoing construction involving other components of YVWD's recycled water system," Zoba said.

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The other components include installation of recycled water storage tanks and a reverse osmosis system, expected to be completed by the end of December, Zoba said.

The brine line is a critical piece of infrastructure because it will enable YVWD to dispose of salts created by the district's wastewater treatment plant as it recycles used water for irrigation purposes, Zoba said.

It will help boost the local economy by providing high tech and other manufacturing businesses with a way to affordably dispose of non-reclaimable waste that they would otherwise have to treat on their own before discharging into the district's sewer system, Zoba said.

"The $20 million brine line was financed through a combination of state and federal grants as well as low interest loans," Zoba said.

Yucaipa Valley Water District provides water and wastewater treatment services to about 50,000 customers in a 50-square-mile service area including the cities of Yucaipa and Calimesa and adjacent areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

For more information about the brine line or the district's water conservation and reuse strategies, contact Zoba at (909) 797-5117 or visit the district's website at www.yvwd.dst.ca.us.

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