The Chino Basin Groundwater Aquifer is a major water supply source for the communities in the Santa Ana Watershed. In IEUA’s service area alone, Chino Basin accounts for up to 40% of the drinking water supply. As a result of development, natural groundwater recharge that would occur during rain events has diminished. It is estimated that today, approximately 30,000 AF per year–or the equivalent of half of IEUA’s imported water supplies from the State Water Project–are lost to stormwater runoff.

To counteract this, IEUA is working with its partners in the Chino Basin Groundwater Recharge programs and local agencies to capture and store as much stormwater as possible. This helps protect local water supplies and the environment by decreasing polluted runoff and reducing the risk of flooding.

On September 24, 2014 Governor Brown signed SB 985 (Pavley) into law, which created the requirement for a Chino Basin Stormwater Resource Plan (SWRP) to be in place for an entity to be eligible to receive grant funding for a storm water and/or dry-weather runoff project where that grant funding was being provided by a bond act approved by the voters after January 1, 2014.  The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) indicates that an entity may have existing plans and agreements that are functionally equivalent to an SWRP, and in that case, the entity can provide documentation demonstrating the nexus of its plans and agreements to the requirements in the SWRP Guidelines.  IEUA developed a Chino Basin Storm Water Resources Plan functional equivalency document to demonstrate that its planning documents meet the purposes of SB 985.  Presented here are the SWRP equivalency document for the Chino Basin and its supporting documentation.