A group of over 50 stakeholders attended the ribbon-cutting celebration for the City of Chino’s Eastside Water Treatment Facility (“EWTF”, “facility”) on April 18, 2023. The event marked the completion of Phase III of the planned expansion and improvement of the facility, which was originally constructed in 2015.
Mayor Eunice Ulloa noted that the region’s agricultural past and industrial uses have left a legacy of contaminants in the City’s groundwater that have subsequently been regulated by the State Water Resources Control Board.
“While Chino has sufficient groundwater to meet our current and future needs, treatment is a critical component of the City’s Water Master Plan,” said Mayor Ulloa. She explained further, “Purchase of imported water can be unreliable and expensive. The use of locally treated groundwater is preferable over alternative sources to increase water supply reliability and reduce reliance on expensive imported surface water.”
Chino’s growth since 2015, when the Eastside Water Treatment Facility was constructed, has been significant. When the facility was in its infancy, Chino had 85,000 residents. Today Chino is a city of 95,000 residents and growing, this expansion will help meet current and future demand. The growth in The Preserve development continues to fuel a significant increase in water demand that the EWTF will help the City meet.
The Phase III project installed nitrate removal equipment consisting of Ion Exchange Treatment vessels and 123-TCP removal equipment with a Granular Activated Carbon train, increasing the treatment capacity at the Eastside facility from 3,500 gallons per minute to 7,000 gallons per minute. With the completion of Phase III, this facility can now produce 10 million gallons of clean water per day for Chino residents.
An important part of the project was the construction of dual brine pipelines to convey the brine waste resulting from the treatment process from the Eastside facility to a Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) lateral owned and operated by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA). This pipeline discharges waste from the treatment process directly, thereby reducing the City’s carbon footprint by eliminating multiple truck disposal trips to the IEUA facility that were required in the past.
On behalf of the City Council, the Mayor congratulated the City’s Public Works Department Water Division staff, project consultants, and the contractors that delivered the project. The project, with a total cost of approximately $19 million, was provided a $16,038,987 loan from the State Water Resources Control Board Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. All phases of the EWTF completed to date represent an investment in the City’s water infrastructure of approximately $50 million.
Board members and staff from many of the region’s water agencies joined in the event, including IEUA, Monte Vista Water District, Chino Basin Water Conservation District, Chino Basin Desalter Authority, and Water Facilities Authority. Among those in attendance were representatives from the Offices of Congresswoman Norma Torres, State Senator Susan Rubio, Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez, and Supervisor Curt Hagman. All provided certificates of recognition to the Mayor and City Council.
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CONTACTS:
Vivian Castro, Deputy City Manager, (909) 334-3307.