Rep. Negrete McLeod Leads on Cleaning Groundwater

Press Release

Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Montclair) released the following statement after learning that a three million dollar federal grant will be awarded for the Lower Chino Dairy Area Desalination Project, when once completed, will increase desalter groundwater pumping from the lower chino basin to 40,000 acre feet (13 billion gallons) of new clean water per year:

"I applaud Secretary Jewell for recognizing and supporting our efforts here in the Inland Empire to find ways in which we can ensure a clean and safe water supply for our communities," said Rep. Negrete McLeod. "These federal dollars will improve the quality and supply for our region's groundwater at a time when California is experiencing a devastating drought season."

Last week, Secretary Sally Jewell announced that the Bureau of Reclamation, which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S Department of Interior, will invest $20 million dollars in federal funding for nine California projects, with the Chino Desalination Project being one of them. These projects are under the WaterSMART program, a federally funded initiative that provides funding for projects that reclaim and reuse municipal, industrial, domestic and agricultural wastewater.

This announcement comes after Rep. Negrete McLeod took leadership earlier this year of urging the federal government to provide needed federal funding towards this project.

"When completed, the Chino Desalination Project will increase clean groundwater pumping from the lower Chino Basin. It will make the Inland Empire less dependent on the need for imported water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta region as well as the Colorado River," concluded Rep. Negrete McLeod.

Source