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San Gorgonio Pass Artificial Recharge Investigation

Completed
By California Water Science Center December 6, 2018

San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) covers an area of 220 square miles in the mountain pass between the Upper Santa Ana River Basin to the west and the Coachella Valley to the east. Since 1961, when the SGPWA was formed, demand for ground water has increased with the increase in population within the agency boundaries. To prepare for future demands for water, the SGPWA has proposed to conjunctively use local ground water and imported State Water Project water in the Beaumont, Banning, and Cabazon storage units.

The objectives of the study are to identify, characterize, and evaluate potential artificial-recharge sites in the Beaumont, Banning, and Cabazon storage units of the SGPWA. The evaluation of the sites will include numerical modeling of the unsaturated and saturated flow systems and the utilization of optimization techniques to help evaluate different conjunctive use alternatives. Data collected from ground-water-level, ground-water-quality, and recharge monitoring networks are used to evaluate existing conditions and changes in the regional aquifer and the unsaturated zone surrounding existing recharge facilities.

Estimating natural recharge in San Gorgonio Pass watersheds, California, 1913–2012

A daily precipitation-runoff model was developed to estimate spatially and temporally distributed recharge for groundwater basins in the San Gorgonio Pass area, southern California. The recharge estimates are needed to define transient boundary conditions for a groundwater-flow model being developed to evaluate the effects of pumping and climate on the long-term availability of groundwater. The ar
Authors
Joseph A. Hevesi, Allen H. Christensen
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Modeling a thick unsaturated zone at San Gorgonio Pass, California: lessons learned after five years of artificial recharge

The information flow among the tasks of framework assessment, numerical modeling, model forecasting and hind casting, and system-performance monitoring is illustrated. Results provide an understanding of artificial recharge in high-altitude desert settings where large vertical distances may separate application ponds from their target aquifers.Approximately 3.8 million cubic meters of surface wate
Authors
Alan L. Flint, Kevin M. Ellett, Allen H. Christensen, Peter Martin
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Geology, ground-water hydrology, geochemistry, and ground-water simulation of the Beaumont and Banning Storage Units, San Gorgonio Pass area, Riverside County, California

Ground water has been the only source of potable water supply for residential, industrial, and agricultural users in the Beaumont and Banning storage units of the San Gorgonio Pass area, Riverside County, California. Ground-water levels in the Beaumont area have declined as much as 100 feet between the early 1920s and early 2000s, and numerous natural springs have stopped flowing. In 1961, the San
Authors
Diane L. Rewis, Allen H. Christensen, Jonathan Matti, Joseph A. Hevesi, Tracy Nishikawa, Peter Martin
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

The role of the unsaturated zone in artificial recharge at San Gorgonio Pass, California

The hydrogeology of the unsaturated zone plays a critical role in determining the suitability of a site for artificial recharge. Optimally, a suitable site has highly permeable soils, a capacity for horizontal flow at the aquifer boundary, a lack of impeding layers, and a thick unsaturated zone. The suitability of a site is often determined by field and laboratory measurements of soil properties,
Authors
Alan L. Flint, Kevin M. Ellett
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Structure, velocities, and faulting relationships beneath San Gorgonio Pass, California: Implications for water resources and earthquake hazards

No abstract available.
Authors
R. D. Catchings, M. R. Goldman, G. Gandhok, Elba Horta, M. J. Rymer, Peter Martin, A. Christensen

Underground storage of imported water in the San Gorgonio Pass area, southern California

The San Gorgonio Pass ground-water basin is divided into the Beaumont, Banning, Cabazon, San Timoteo, South Beaumont, Banning Bench, and Singleton storage units. The Beaumont storage unit, centrally located in the agency area, is the largest in volume of the storage units. Estimated long-term average annual precipitation in the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency drainage area is 332,000 acre-feet,
Authors
Richard M. Bloyd

Underground storage of imported water in the San Gorgonio Pass area, California

No abstract available.
Authors
R. M. Bloyd

Progress report on the ground-water investigation in the San Gorgonio Pass area, California

No abstract available.
Authors
R. M. Bloyd

California Groundwater Model Archive

The USGS models shown on this site are in the public domain, and are freely available. They are based on MODFLOW and other public-domain USGS software. Links to publications and web resources associated with each model are shown in the table next to the model map. The associated model files for some of these models are currently available via download.

By
California Water Science Center

San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency (SGPWA) covers an area of 220 square miles in the mountain pass between the Upper Santa Ana River Basin to the west and the Coachella Valley to the east. Since 1961, when the SGPWA was formed, demand for ground water has increased with the increase in population within the agency boundaries. To prepare for future demands for water, the SGPWA has proposed to conjunctively use local ground water and imported State Water Project water in the Beaumont, Banning, and Cabazon storage units.

The objectives of the study are to identify, characterize, and evaluate potential artificial-recharge sites in the Beaumont, Banning, and Cabazon storage units of the SGPWA. The evaluation of the sites will include numerical modeling of the unsaturated and saturated flow systems and the utilization of optimization techniques to help evaluate different conjunctive use alternatives. Data collected from ground-water-level, ground-water-quality, and recharge monitoring networks are used to evaluate existing conditions and changes in the regional aquifer and the unsaturated zone surrounding existing recharge facilities.

Estimating natural recharge in San Gorgonio Pass watersheds, California, 1913–2012

A daily precipitation-runoff model was developed to estimate spatially and temporally distributed recharge for groundwater basins in the San Gorgonio Pass area, southern California. The recharge estimates are needed to define transient boundary conditions for a groundwater-flow model being developed to evaluate the effects of pumping and climate on the long-term availability of groundwater. The ar
Authors
Joseph A. Hevesi, Allen H. Christensen
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Modeling a thick unsaturated zone at San Gorgonio Pass, California: lessons learned after five years of artificial recharge

The information flow among the tasks of framework assessment, numerical modeling, model forecasting and hind casting, and system-performance monitoring is illustrated. Results provide an understanding of artificial recharge in high-altitude desert settings where large vertical distances may separate application ponds from their target aquifers.Approximately 3.8 million cubic meters of surface wate
Authors
Alan L. Flint, Kevin M. Ellett, Allen H. Christensen, Peter Martin
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Geology, ground-water hydrology, geochemistry, and ground-water simulation of the Beaumont and Banning Storage Units, San Gorgonio Pass area, Riverside County, California

Ground water has been the only source of potable water supply for residential, industrial, and agricultural users in the Beaumont and Banning storage units of the San Gorgonio Pass area, Riverside County, California. Ground-water levels in the Beaumont area have declined as much as 100 feet between the early 1920s and early 2000s, and numerous natural springs have stopped flowing. In 1961, the San
Authors
Diane L. Rewis, Allen H. Christensen, Jonathan Matti, Joseph A. Hevesi, Tracy Nishikawa, Peter Martin
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

The role of the unsaturated zone in artificial recharge at San Gorgonio Pass, California

The hydrogeology of the unsaturated zone plays a critical role in determining the suitability of a site for artificial recharge. Optimally, a suitable site has highly permeable soils, a capacity for horizontal flow at the aquifer boundary, a lack of impeding layers, and a thick unsaturated zone. The suitability of a site is often determined by field and laboratory measurements of soil properties,
Authors
Alan L. Flint, Kevin M. Ellett
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Structure, velocities, and faulting relationships beneath San Gorgonio Pass, California: Implications for water resources and earthquake hazards

No abstract available.
Authors
R. D. Catchings, M. R. Goldman, G. Gandhok, Elba Horta, M. J. Rymer, Peter Martin, A. Christensen

Underground storage of imported water in the San Gorgonio Pass area, southern California

The San Gorgonio Pass ground-water basin is divided into the Beaumont, Banning, Cabazon, San Timoteo, South Beaumont, Banning Bench, and Singleton storage units. The Beaumont storage unit, centrally located in the agency area, is the largest in volume of the storage units. Estimated long-term average annual precipitation in the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency drainage area is 332,000 acre-feet,
Authors
Richard M. Bloyd

Underground storage of imported water in the San Gorgonio Pass area, California

No abstract available.
Authors
R. M. Bloyd

Progress report on the ground-water investigation in the San Gorgonio Pass area, California

No abstract available.
Authors
R. M. Bloyd

California Groundwater Model Archive

The USGS models shown on this site are in the public domain, and are freely available. They are based on MODFLOW and other public-domain USGS software. Links to publications and web resources associated with each model are shown in the table next to the model map. The associated model files for some of these models are currently available via download.

By
California Water Science Center
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