Overview of Indian Wells ValleyHydrogeology and Management
Presenters
Location
DWR B-118Basin 6-54
• Kern, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties
• 382,000 acres (597 sq mi)
• 4-inch ave ppt• 2,150-2,400 feet
elevation valley floor• Closed, internally
drained basin
Institutional Setting
City of Ridgecrest
• Incorporated 1963 - Population ~30,000• Major Employers
--NAWS - 3500 --Searles Minerals - 600--School District - 600 --Hospital – 300
• General Plan encourages--LID approaches --Expand recycled water--Increased conservation --Protect groundwater
• Provides 1.4MGD reclaimed water to NAWS golf course
Indian Wells Valley Water District• Formed in 1955 as Ridgecrest County Water District by
consolidating several smaller domestic services water companies under CWC Division 12, and modified through several Improvements Districts (Assessment District 82-1, 87-1 & 91-1)
• Service area 38 sq mi (8 sq mi public lands)• Services domestic, residential, institutional water; construction of
rights of ways; fire protection; recreation; and emergency water restrictions.
• Provides water to approximately 12,000 connections• Operates 10 active water supply wells• Actively pursuing water conservation and water use efficiency,
addressing arsenic, and improving water supply
China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station
Kern County Water Agency
Searles Valley Minerals
Indian Wells ValleyCooperative Groundwater Management Group• Water levels have declined in areas within the Valley.• As depth to groundwater increases, production and distribution
costs will increase.• As depth to groundwater increases, the potential exists for poorer
quality water to mix with and degrade higher quality water.• Some portion of the recharge to the Valley from the Sierra Nevada
may be lost to evaporation in the China Lake playa.• Our understanding of the geohydrology of the Valley is based on
groundwater quantity and quality data collected from available production and monitoring wells located throughout much of the Valley. – The recharge and discharge characteristics of the aquifer are not fully
understood. – Adequacy of the known groundwater reserves to meet future
demands shall be determined.
Indian Wells ValleyCooperative Groundwater Management Group
• 1995 – formed to manage the basin cooperatively• “Memorandum of Understanding”
• Naval Air Weapons Station• Kern County Water Agency• City of Ridgecrest• Inyokern Community Services District• Bureau of Land Management
• Indian Wells Valley Water District• Searles Valley Minerals• Quist Farms• Eastern Kern County Resources
Conservation District
Indian Wells ValleyCooperative Groundwater Management Group
Purpose• Set forth guidelines and management principles for the
production, distribution, and use of groundwater within the purview of the participants.
• Further develop (cooperatively or individually) the technical data and analytical capabilities to better understand the nature and characteristics of the watershed and aquifer system.
• Apply these guidelines toward sound management practices to extend the useful life of the groundwater resource to meet current and foreseeable future demands.
• Coordinate interested local agencies and water producers into a cooperative planning effort to share information and management practices to maintain the life of the resource.
Indian Wells ValleyCooperative Groundwater Management Group1. Limit additional large scale pumping in areas that appear to be adversely
impacted.2. Distribute new groundwater extraction within the Valley in a manner that will
minimize adverse effects to existing groundwater conditions (levels and quality), and maximize the long-term supply within the Valley.
3. Aggressively pursue the development and implementation of water conservation policy and education programs.
4. Encourage the use of treated water, reclaimed water, recycled, gray and lower quality water where appropriate and economically feasible.
5. Explore the potential for other types of water management programs that are beneficial to the Valley.
6. Continue cooperative efforts to develop information and data which contributes to further defining and better understanding the groundwater resource in the Indian Wells Valley.
7. Develop an inter-agency management framework to implement and enforce the objectives of this Plan.
Indian Wells ValleyBackground Studies
AB303 Study 2003 - Groundwater Management in the Indian Wells Valley Basin
AB303 Study 2008 - Groundwater Monitoring Program in the Indian Wells Valley Basin
Indian Wells ValleyTectonic Setting
Indian Wells ValleyGeology
Indian Wells ValleyBasin Hydrogeology
Indian Wells ValleyBasin Hydrogeology
Indian Wells ValleyConceptual Model
Indian Wells ValleyGroundwater Monitoring Program
Indian Wells ValleyGroundwater Flow
Indian Wells ValleyGroundwater Pumping
Indian Wells ValleyGroundwater Budget
Indian Wells ValleyGroundwater Flow Model
Indian Wells ValleyGroundwater Challenges
• Groundwater Quantity– Basin groundwater levels declining 1 to 1 ½ ft/yr– Some rural well issues with these shallower wells
• Groundwater Quality– Salinity– Arsenic
Current/Future Efforts
• Participating in the Inyo Mono IRWMP• Brackish Water Supply • Increasing Conservation• Shifting Pumping to Reduce Localized
Drawdown• CASGEM Monitoring Program• Aquifer Testing in Southwest Basin• Updating the Groundwater Management Plan
Current/Future EffortsParticipating in the Inyo Mono IRWMP
• Over 40 federal, state, regional and county agencies, organizations and private stakeholders from Easter Sierra Nevada
• Facilitation and participation from DWR at Inyo Mono IRWMP meetings
• Completed the IRWMP in January 2011• Projects submitted and undergoing review– IWVWD Brackish Water Project
Current/Future EffortsBrackish Water Supply
Current/Future EffortsIncreasing Conservation
Current/Future EffortsShifting Pumping to Reduce Localized Drawdown
Current/Future EffortsCASGEM Monitoring Program
Current/Future EffortsAquifer Testing in Southwest Basin
Current/Future EffortsUpdating the Groundwater Management Plan