Lake Elsinore Invests In Clean Water With New Infrastructure

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District is making strides toward expanding water and wastewater coverage, they say. A recent news release showed how the district plans to serve a population that has grown by almost 25 percent.

In a recent news release, they shared details of how they plan to do it:

"Today, we deliver over 7.3 billion gallons of water to our customers each year," a spokesperson for EVMWD said, even as the district is looking ahead to the future.

Over the next four years, the district is addressing contamination from Canyon Lake, as well as other upgrades at the treatment plant, according to their most recent plans. They will invest over $586 million into capital improvement projects aimed at significantly improving water and sewer services.

"Our team has nearly completed designs for required upgrades at the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant, which will remove PFAS from this valuable water source," a spokesperson shared.

"At an estimated cost of $62 million, EVMWD plans on implementing state-of-the-art technologies to bring the plant back online by the end of 2027 to deliver safe and reliable drinking water.

"To date, EVMWD says that the Canyon Lake project has received $780,000 in Federal Relief Funds and $3.4 million from congressional appropriations.

"Additional water projects include the Tomlin Pipeline Improvement Project, the Backflow Device Replacement Project, and the Summerly Well Rehabilitation Project," they said. "These projects are possible due to EVMWD's board of directors’ recent approval of $1.65 million for capital improvements. This funding also includes funding for wastewater infrastructure.

"Our wastewater system is receiving multiple upgrades that will help us meet regulatory requirements while allowing the community to grow and thrive.

"EVMWD continues its major expansion of the Regional Water Reclamation Facility, which will allow the facility to treat an additional 4 million gallons of wastewater per day. Currently, the facility produces 5.5 million gallons of highly treated recycled water per day, which keeps Lake Elsinore full to provide an exceptional recreation experience for residents and visitors. When the expansion project is complete, the additional water will strengthen the region’s resilience with a local drought-proof water supply, as well as lower our reliance on expensive imported water.

"Our network of lift stations plays a critical role in moving wastewater from lower elevations to higher elevations to avoid flooding. Final design is underway on the new Diamond Regional Lift Station, which will replace four existing lift stations. The new station will accommodate existing and future flows of up to 6.6 million gallons per day as well as remove smaller lift stations that are not as efficient or nearing their useful life. EVMWD has secured $36 million in a low-interest loan from the State of California Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and anticipates an additional loan from CWSRF to fully fund the $60 million project.

"We see our relationship with our customers as a partnership in improving and maintaining our quality of life in Elsinore Valley. EVMWD puts customers first when we plan for our capital improvement projects to balance rates with other sources of funding as we continue to build a resilient water and sewer infrastructure system for future health and vibrancy so that life can flourish."

For more information about EVMWD projects and services, please visit www.EVMWD.com.