New sewage collection system breaks ground in Yucca Valley

YUCCA VALLEY – The State Water Resources Control Board and the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board joined the Hi Desert Water District, Sukut Construction, elected officials and residents of Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County yesterday to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new sewage collection system—the second phase of a 10-year wastewater infrastructure construction project—that will connect over 2,000 households, or about 5400 people, to sewer services.

When the collection system is finished later this year, it will transport approximately 210,000 gallons per day of Yucca Valley’s wastewater through 32 miles of new pipe to the water district’s Wastewater Treatment and Water Reclamation Facility. The facility was constructed in 2020 and is the first centralized plant in the area to treat the Valley’s wastewater. Since 2016, the facility, the new collection system, and other elements of the project have received $248 million in financial assistance from the State Water Board.

“Water and wastewater infrastructure projects are massive undertakings that require time, expertise and extensive financing that most small communities cannot raise on their own,” said State Water Board Member, Laurel Firestone. “Without low interest loans and grants, major projects like this one would be too expensive to build, especially in economically disadvantaged communities. That is why state and federal support is so important, and why Gov. Gavin Newsom has made infrastructure investment a top priority. The board is proud to work with partners like Hi-Desert Water District to bring modern infrastructure to communities throughout the state that are key to protect water resources, new development and the future of California.”

The water district’s new collection system was funded almost entirely through a $103 million grant from funds allocated by the Governor and the Legislature for wastewater infrastructure in the 2021 Budget Act. The State Water Board provided the balance of funding for both phases of the project—totaling over $145 million—through a $138 million low interest loan and $750,000 grant from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and a $7 million grant from Proposition 1 funding for groundwater protection.

“The (Hi Desert) district is grateful for the awards of funds as it allows us to continue our mission to protect our local groundwater supply from septic discharge and also provides us with the benefit of storing treated wastewater in our groundwater basin for future reuse, thereby lessening our dependence on the State Water Project,” said Hi-Desert Water District Board Chair Scot E. McKone. “This critical project would not have been feasible financially for our customers without the grants and low-interest loans from the state and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.”

When the project is complete, property owners must connect to the new collection system within six months at their own cost. The district estimates that the state wastewater infrastructure grant is saving individual property owners over $30,000 in avoided assessment costs for the sewage collection system, while low-interest loans from the State Revolving Fund will help keep wastewater rates for all residents more affordable over time. Low-income property owners may qualify for assistance from the Section 504 Home Repair Program through the United States Department of Agriculture.

The water district’s project began after the Colorado River Basin Water Board’s 2011 decision (revised in 2021) adopting an amendment to its basin plan prohibiting the discharge of wastewater from septic tanks to groundwater in Yucca Valley and, also, directing compliance through a phased project to build a treatment facility and collection system. The regional board based its decision on a study by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that found significant nitrate concentrations in the Warren subbasin of the Morongo Groundwater Basin, a source of drinking water for the valley. USGS identified septic tank effluent from households, commercial and industrial properties as the primary source of these concentrations.

Improperly sited, designed, operated and/or maintained onsite sewage treatment systems are a key source of bacteria and nitrate that can contaminate ground and surface waters. The board’s Division of Financial Assistance has provided $444 million in planning and construction funding for 34 septic-to-sewer projects since 2021, benefiting nearly 26,000 people.

Progress in transitioning more communities to sewer systems advances Gov. Gavin Newsom’s commitment to upgrade and build more infrastructure faster across the state.

More information about the Division of Financial Assistance is available on the water board's website.

The State Water Board’s mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper resource allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations.