Drought Impacts on Riverside Highland Water Company

The California State Water Resources Control Board announced that 80 percent of the state is experiencing exceptional drought conditions. The State just came off of its third consecutive year of below average rain fall and reservoirs are low, fields are fallowed and some communities are running out of water. While Riverside Highland Water Company is very fortunate to have the ability to pump its own water from various locations and is in a better situation than most water agencies, we are not completely immune to the drought. According to Bob Tincher from the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, the groundwater storage levels, where most of the water that our region receives their water from, are at their lowest level in recorded history. In addition, 25 percent of the water that our region relies on is imported from Northern California. While Riverside Highland Water Company does not purchase imported water, we do rely on the water from the state that is spread in the local aquifers that we pump from. Also, the less imported water available to other agencies means that they must rely on local water which also impacts the water that Riverside Highland Water Company relies on. Since Riverside Highland Water Company is not immune to the drought, we have asked our customers to take steps to conserve water inside and outside their homes.