Four Water Agencies Partner to Preserve Hydropower

San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (San Bernardino Valley), Bear Valley Mutual Water Company (Bear Valley), Big Bear Municipal Water District (BBMWD) and Crafton Water Company have joined forces to secure seven historic hydroelectric facilities that ensure reliable water deliveries, preserve endangered species’ habitat, and offset costs for regional water partners.

Led by San Bernardino Valley, the acquisition from Southern California Edison (SCE) establishes a new chapter for facilities along the Santa Ana River, Mill Creek and San Antonio Creek. The agencies formed the Santa Ana Watershed Hydro Authority (SAWHA), a Joint Powers Authority (JPA), to oversee their operation and maintenance.

“These facilities represent years of regional collaboration to preserve critical infrastructure that benefits water agencies, communities and the environment,” said T. Milford Harrison, San Bernardino Valley’s Board President. “We recognized an opportunity to protect local resources and built a partnership to make it happen. Now, the agencies that depend on this infrastructure have a direct role in its future.”

Under the agreement, SCE provided $34.2 million to fund necessary repairs to return the facilities to operational status. The arrangement lets SCE avoid higher projected cost of decommissioning the facilities while allowing local agencies to preserve infrastructure critical to regional water deliveries.

The effort began in 2020, when San Bernardino Valley learned of SCE’s plans to divest the facilities and brought regional water agencies together. Years of technical evaluations, inspections and negotiations followed, culminating in the formation of SAWHA. San Bernardino Valley and SCE recently obtained regulatory approvals from the California Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The facilities generate electricity as water passes through them before continuing downstream to local users, with a combined potential generation capacity of 11.5 megawatts.

“For Bear Valley, protecting these facilities means protecting the water supplies local farmers depend on,” said Larry Jacinto, Board President of Bear Valley. “This partnership gives us a voice in maintaining the infrastructure that serves our shareholders.”

The four agencies commemorated the partnership with a dedication ceremony on October 22 at one of the facilities, the historic Mill Creek No. 1 Powerhouse in Mentone. Congressman Jay Obernolte delivered remarks and presented a congressional proclamation recognizing the project and its regional significance. Additionally, the office of Congressman Pete Aguilar provided a certificate commending the agencies for their commitment to regional infrastructure and water supply reliability. The event also included a tour of the powerhouse that came online in 1893, the first commercial facility in the United States to successfully generate three-phase alternating current (AC), highlighting the region’s rich hydropower history and SAWHA’s commitment to its future.

“What happens in our mountains affects communities downstream,” said Tom Bradford, President of BBMWD. “SAWHA strengthens our ability to protect water quality and manage these resources with the entire watershed in mind.”

“Our shareholders depend on reliable water deliveries,” said Steve Wellington, Board President of Crafton Water Company. “SAWHA allows us to help maintain the facilities that make those reliable deliveries possible.”