The Chino Basin Program addresses local and state water challenges by investing in local water treatment, storage, and delivery.


This quarterly Program Bulletin is your source to learn more about an exciting partnership designed to increase local water supply reliability and regional resiliency.

Funding Momentum

Funding large infrastructure investments is a challenge for many communities across the state and country as water resilience planning is coming to the forefront for water utilities. This often means relying on a combination of local agency investment, state dedicated funding, and federal grant funding.

The Chino Basin Program is currently one of five projects funded by the California Water Commission’s Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP). Proposition 1 of 2014 dedicated $2.7 billion to water storage projects that increase water resilience for communities around the state. In 2024, Proposition 4 added an additional $75 million in funding to support existing WISP projects. Projects were chosen based on their ability to increase water storage, improving flood control, and improving water quality and ecosystem quality.

Through Propositions 1 and 4, the Chino Basin Program has $268 million in conditional funding, providing critical funding momentum for this community benefit program. 

The program has also received:



• $401,500 in grant funding awarded by the Metropolitan Water District and $1.09 million in community project request funding advanced by Congresswoman Norma Torres for the Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility.
  
• $2.8 million in grant funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for planning and permitting.
  
• $10.8 million in conditional grant funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for construction costs.

The Chino Basin Program is now moving forward into the next phase of implementation, using this momentum to compete for additional state and federal funding to close remaining gaps and accelerate project delivery. These continued investments will reduce reliance on imported water while strengthening regional water security and supporting healthy ecosystems across California.

Join the over 30 agencies and community leaders that have written letters of support to for the Chino Basin Program! Learn more here

Recent CBP Accomplishments

Infrastructure Advancements

Monitoring Well Completion
Using the information gained from the Exploratory Boring and Monitoring Well Project, IEUA has completed the preliminary design report for the groundwater replenishment wells.


GREAT NEWS: We have reduced the number of replenishment wells that we need from 16 to nine (9)! This result is reduced capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, and pipeline lengths to supply purified water. The team has been hard-at-work identifying viable sites to locate these wells.


NEXT STEPS: Design and construct one pilot groundwater replenishment well to clarify design criteria and requirements for the remaining eight (8) wells. The pilot well construction is planned for 2026. We are excited to get one step closer to enhancing long-term water reliability for the region leveraging our existing Chino Groundwater Basin.

Interested in learning more about this exciting data? Our groundwater replenishment work will be highlighted at the 2026 California Groundwater Conference in February 18-19^th.

Public Outreach

CBP has been highlighted at several recent events including:


WateReuse California (WRCA) 2025 Annual Conference on September 22, 2025


IEUA’s Adham Almasri, P.E., PMP, Advanced Water Treatment Program Manager presented at the September WateReuse conference to a full room, sharing insights from the Chino Basin Program. The presentation was titled, “To DPR or not to DPR – That is the Question. The Chino Basin Program Potable Reuse Planning for the Future.”


SPOILER ALERT: IEUA is maintaining the course of Chino Basin Program and planning to implement Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) and groundwater recharge, as planned. This means that purified water will be added to drinking water sources by recharging the aquifer but not put directly into people’s taps (which would be direct potable use, or DPR). With new California DPR regulations issued in 2024, IEUA felt it was important to explore the future implications and considerations for planning their Advanced Water Purification Facility now. This presentation summarized that evaluation and considerations for other wastewater utilities considering IPR and DPR.

Presentation by Adham Almasri, Advanced Water Treatment Program Manager, IEUA

IEUA CBP Quarterly Stakeholder Workshop, October 2025

On October 9, 2025, IEUA held a stakeholder’s workshop for customer and partner agencies to provide timely CBP updates. Several IEUA staff presented on the status of CBP facilities and ongoing programs, public outreach, and project implementation moving forward.  

Southern California Water Dialogue CBP Update, October 2025

IEUA’s Liza Munoz, Senior Engineer, presented at the October Southern California Dialogue webinar, providing an overview of the Chino Basin Program alongside other Proposition 1, Water Storage Investment Program projects. 

Website Updates



The Chino Basin Program website has been refreshed with a modernized look and updated design that improves usability and visual appeal. Content across the site has been revised to provide clearer, more concise information about the program’s purpose, benefits, and progress. New graphics and visual elements have been added to better illustrate complex concepts and highlight key milestones. In addition, the website now features expanded project resources, making it easier for stakeholders and the public to access technical documents, updates, and background information. 

Upcoming Events

Save the date for the next CBP Stakeholder meeting on Thursday, February 12 from 3:00-5:00 at Inland Empire Utilities Agency 6075 Kimball Ave. Chino, CA 91708 where we will discuss an overview of CBP and Implementation Milestones & Next Steps. For questions, please contact Liz Hurst, Chino Basin Program Manager at ehurst@ieua.org. 

The CBP is a series of innovative infrastructure enhancements designed to improve regional water reliability by capturing, treating, storing, and delivering high-quality water back into the Chino Basin, enhancing water supply reliability and local control.

With the construction of an Advanced Water Purification Facility, groundwater replenishing wells, conveyance, supplemental water supplies, and extraction facilities, 15,000 acre-feet per year of new, pure water supplies will be developed and stored for local use.

Did you know that 15,000 acre-feet per year of treated water is equivalent to approximately 13.4 million gallons per day, or about 9,300 gallons per minute? To put that volume into perspective, the average Southern California household uses about 0.32 acre-feet of water per year. At full scale, the Chino Basin Program’s treatment capacity represents a substantial amount of water – serving nearly 50,000 homes per year —enough to illustrate the scale needed to help meet regional water demands and reduce reliance on imported supplies. 

Connect With Us

For additional program information, project updates, and opportunities to connect with our staff directly, visit our website at chinobasinprogram.org and follow us on social media.