The Hi-Desert Water District has learned that it will be receiving just one-fifth of its usual water allocation from the State Water Project. According to the water district, it will receive 620 acre feet of water to recharge local water supplies. This is the lowest amount of water that has been allocated to Hi-Desert Water District since the Morongo Basin Pipeline was constructed and Yucca Valley began importing water in 1995. Up until this year, the water district has received up to 3,000 acre feet of water each year. The reduction in allocated water is due to the California drought. Hi-Desert Water District General Manager Ed Muzik said, “We’re encouraging our customers to continue to conserve water.” He added that when Yucca Valley’s wastewater Reclamation project is in full operation, the sewer system will collect and treat wastewater and reclaim the clean water back into the ground to replenish the local water supply, reducing the Town’s reliance on unpredictable water allocations by one-third.
