There are more questions that keep coming up in the 2010 real world about the R3 MWA 2004 and 2006 numbers used to sell this project to the public. The latest explaination of the R3 project is found on the Jan 28 2010 Agenda Packet DOB in the MWA Water Supply Reliability & 3.0 Environmental Analysis Groundwater Replenishment Program Addendum EIR No.2   

Description of Proposed Phase 1 Regional Recharge and Recovery Project Modifications
The MWA is currently proposing to construct Phase 1 of the R3 Project.

The most troubling to me right now is the availabilty and actual delivery of the "recharge" water from the State Water Project that makes up the main selling point of the R3- Regional Recharge and Recovery project. The 2010 allocation for the entire Mojave Water District and all of its users and projects is 4,140 acre feet. This is out of the 82,800 acre feet that the MWA has aquired through out the years and what was requested by the MWA.

Next is the MWA Water Supply Reliability & 3.0 Environmental Analysis Groundwater Replenishment Program Addendum EIR No. 2

The EIR explains the R3 project and claims that the project will not result in significant impacts to water resources. Here's where the math gets fuzzy. The R3 project calls for " up to approximately 44,000 afy of State Water Project (SWP) water into the Mojave River for recharge over a nine month period." 

R3 Phase I Recharge Facilities: Temporary in‐channel recharge basins would be created by construction of sand berms as originally proposed. The proposed construction of a new turnout at Summit Valley and the discharge of those flows into the Unnamed Wash would not be proposed as part of R3 Phase I. Instead, a 48‐inch buried pipeline would be constructed from the MWA’s existing Morongo Basin Pipeline (MBP) at the Rock Springs Turnout to deliver SWP water to the recharge area. Designated the Rock Springs Recharge Pipeline, this buried pipeline would be approximately 9,050 linear feet in length and would run south from the Rock Springs outlet through vacant land and within the Deep Creek Road right‐of‐way, terminating at a future MWA facility located on Assessor Parcel Number 043‐306‐129. The pipeline would primarily be located within existing rights‐of‐way, and no significant environmental resources would be impacted that are not otherwise addressed in the 2004 PEIR and 2006 FEIR. The proposed turnout facility is needed in addition to the Rock Springs outlet in order to introduce recharge water in a location where the deeper regional aquifer is not blocked by an aquiclude. This results in more favorable recharge conditions.

The Rock Springs Recharge Pipeline would discharge up to approximately 44,000 afy of State Water Project (SWP) water into the Mojave River for recharge over a 9‐month period (design flow = 74 cfs, a reduction of approximately 4,000 afy as compared to the proposed Minimum Facilities Alternative project (refer to Exhibit 2‐ 2, Sheet 3 of 3). This is consistent within the overall scope of the 2004 PEIR and 2006 FEIR, as well as the 1990 IS/MND which allowed up to 50,800 afy of recharge using SWP water.
 

If the entire years allocation is 4,140 acre feet of water from the State Water Project how are you going to recharge the R3 project with 44,000 acre feet of State Water Project Water?

Another troubling revelation is that the pipeline will be feeding "recovered" back into the California Aqueduct?

Well Field Delivery Pipelines:
2004 PEIR/2006 FEIR Description: On the west side of the River, water pumped from the west MRWF would be routed through well field connector pipeline to a 9‐ mile long well field delivery pipeline that would carry recovered water to the California Aqueduct and/or distribute it to local water purveyors through four well field pipelines branching off from this main arterial delivery line to connect with existing reservoir water storage and treatment facilities and regional distribution hubs.

How does that work? The water from under the Mojave River will get put into the Aqueduct even though the water from the State Water Project was never delivered to the Mojave as "recharge" water that the stakeholders (Taxpayers) have paid for. $25 Million in 1997 to Berrenda Mesa and $73.5 Million dollars in 2009 to Dudley Ridge. For a total of $98.5 Million dollars for the promise of water but so far not anything you can see or touch or drink.

To wrap up this page is the discovery of the impact on Hesperia for the citizens who live here.

I will paste what is on the latest document as far as what the MWA has planned for Hesperia. I would urge people in Hesperia to speak up at the City Council meetings if you think that the R3 project should be discussed at a public hearing in front of the City Council.

R3 Phase I Wells: The recovery facilities of the proposed R3 Project are sized to recover up to
approximately 40,000 afy from the Mojave Basin for delivery to local water purveyors over a 10‐
month period (design flow = 66 cfs). Up to 7 wells would be constructed as part of the R3 Phase I Project.4 The R3 Phase I Project wells would be drilled to a depth of approximately 720 feet below ground surface (bgs). Six (6) of the proposed wells would be located on the west side of the river and 1 on the east side. On the west side of the river, buried 18 – 42 inch connector pipelines would be located within portions of the right‐of‐way of Glendale Avenue, Willow Street, and Choiceana Avenue in the City of Hesperia, and would connect to the well field delivery pipeline at the intersection of Choiceana Avenue and Lemon Street.

The west well field delivery pipelines would begin within the west MRWF within the approximate alignment of Eucalyptus Street. It would be constructed within existing public rights‐of‐way roads and/or sidewalks), including portions of Eucalyptus Street, Santa Fe Avenue, and Mesa
Street in the City of Hesperia. The 2006 FEIR notes that several pump stations would be required along the route.

R3 Phase I Reservoir Facility: A new MWA Reservoir Facility site would be located on
Lemon Street, either on Site A (assessor parcel numbers 0415‐201‐03 and 0415‐201‐21), or on
Site B (assessor parcel number 0415‐201‐20). The Reservoir Facility would include area for
reservoirs, pump station, central disinfection facility, percolation pond and spillway. Several
alternative sites were considered for this facility, including a site on Lilac Street on two parcels,
identified as assessor parcel number 046‐132‐40 and assessor parcel number 046‐132‐41.
However, following a public meeting on December 3, 2009, MWA decided to relocate the
Reservoir Facility based on public comment/input. The current proposed sites on Lemon Street,
Site A and/or Site B.