City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2026 FROM: PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: Cost sharing Agreement between SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT and city of riverside for the Participation in the Salt and Nutrient Management Plan PHASE 3A study for THE Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Groundwater BasinS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $29,405 ISSUE:
Approve the Cost Sharing Agreement between San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and City of Riverside for the participation in The Salt and Nutrient Management Plan Phase 3A Study for the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Groundwater Basins in an amount not to exceed $29,405.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council:
Approve the Cost Sharing Agreement between San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and City of Riverside in an amount not to exceed $29,405; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Agreement with San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
On September 28, 2026, the Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the0 Cost Sharing Agreement between San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and City of Riverside for the participation in The Salt and Nutrient Management Plan Phase 3A Study for the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Groundwater Basins in an amount not to exceed $29,405; and authorize the City Manager or designee, to execute the agreement with San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District.
BACKGROUND:
Salt and nutrient management plans (SNMPs) serve as a critical regulatory framework for preserving the long-term quality and sustainability of groundwater resources. This framework is necessary to permit and implement water resource management projects across the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed. To support this planning effort, the SNMP Working Group selected WSC and Geoscience Support Services in 2021 to perform the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Salt and Nutrient Management Strategy Study (SNMSS). Basin stakeholders, including Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), have actively funded and participated in this multi-phase effort.
Completed in 2023, Phases 1 and 2 provided vital water quality characterizations and groundwater modeling to estimate future total dissolved solids (TDS) and nitrate concentrations. This also allows an estimate of the change in the assimilative capacity or the margin between future ambient groundwater quality and established regulatory water quality objectives. Ambient water quality values and objectives for the Bunker Hill management zones are displayed in the map figure (slide 4 of the presentation) and listed in the accompanying table. This analysis allows basin stakeholders to quantify the potential impacts of proposed recycled water projects alongside the benefits of recharging lower-TDS stormwater and imported water.
In parallel, a smaller group of water agencies, the Bunker Hill-B (BH-B) Coalition, comprising East Valley Water District, the City of Redlands, San Bernardino Municipal Water Department, and San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (San Bernardino Valley), completed a Salinity Management Feasibility Study in 2025 to satisfy project-specific regulatory requirements for the Sterling Natural Resource Center. This feasibility study identified the eventual need for a regional desalter to manage TDS in the Bunker Hill basin but recommended first updating key data to better inform groundwater model analyses.
To align these efforts, Phase 3 of the study was restructured into two sub-phases: Phase 3A and Phase 3B. Under Phase 3A, the consulting team will update the TDS groundwater model components, analyze the impacts of recycled water projects alongside potential salinity management measures, and prepare a Phase 3A report. This report will determine whether it is necessary to prepare a subregional SNMP or to proceed directly to construction of a regional desalter, thereby informing the scope for Phase 3B.
DISCUSSION:
On February 17, 2026, San Bernardino Valley’s Board of Directors approved an amendment to the contract with WSC for Phase 3A and the cost share agreed to by the Parties, whereby the Bunker Hill-B Coalition members will pay 50% of the Phase 3A costs, with the remaining 50% equally split among the other six (6) cost sharing Participants from the SNMP Working Group. RPU's participation will not exceed $29,405, equivalent to about 8.3% of the overall project.
After the San Bernardino Valley Board approval, the project was paused to consider an additional task requested by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board to be added to the scope of work. This additional task did not impact the project cost and was included in the scope of work for Phase 3A.
RPU's participation is recommended in this joint regional effort to ensure that the City of Riverside interests are considered and evaluated in the study and that the findings and recommended path forward protect the water supplies of the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed into the future.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact is $29,405. Sufficient funds are available in the Water Fund, Public Utilities Water Engineering, Professional Services Account No. 6210000-4210000.
Prepared by: Robin Glenney, Utilities Assistant General Manager Water Approved by: David A. Garcia, Utilities General Manager Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Finance Director
Approved by: Gilbert Hernandez, Assistant City Manager Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Attachments:
Agreement
Presentation
SNMP for the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed Groundwater Basin ● Page 2