The recently committed funds are in addition to the almost $145 million already raised to complete the earlier Wastewater Treatment and Water Reclamation Facility and related infrastructure. In total, the water board has provided $248 million in funding, evidence of California’s commitment to protecting water resources and instilling resiliency in the system’s infrastructure.
This next phase of the collection system will help the district comply with the Colorado River Regional Water Quality Control Board’s septic discharge prohibition. That prohibition was initiated to address potential contamination of Yucca Valley’s drinking water from septic waste. The funding opens the door for the district to move forward. Already it has awarded a contract for the final planning and construction phases. This will enable the expansion of the sewer collection system, bringing service to more households. The expanded service will help achieve greater economies of scale, ultimately benefiting all users. By distributing the operational costs of both the treatment plant and collection system, the district can enhance the efficiency and affordability for the entire community. Construction is anticipated to begin in January with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2025.
The District will be sending information directly to property owners in the areas that will be under construction and will be providing regular updates as we know more. The private property connections are not included in the scope of the funding received from the State Water Board, so property owners will need to plan to hire a contractor to connect to the sewer and abandon their septic system.
Phase I construction was completed in 2019 and has been operational for a few years now.
Over 95% of the customers in Phase I are connected, and those remaining to be served are working to connect to avoid the State’s enforcement action. Phase I was paid for with a low-interest loan secured by Assessment District 2014-1, which is paid for by property owners in all phases over a period of 30 years on their property tax roll. Phases II and III were assessed a portion of the cost of Phase I that they will benefit from once connected.
The Town of Yucca Valley passed Measure Z which placed a 1⁄2 cent sales tax on local purchases to help reduce the financial burden to those in the Phase I assessment district. Since 2016, Measure Z has generated over $16 million to help pay down the loan for Phase 1, thereby reducing what property owners have had to pay each year.
