The Coachella Valley is a large and growing region in arid southern California. Its water supply primarily comprises the underlying groundwater basin, surface water imported from the Colorado River, and recycled water. These water supplies are facing threats and challenges from climate change, groundwater overdraft, and water-quality degradation.
In 2020/21, the water and wastewater agencies in the Coachella Valley (CV) that are responsible for developing a Salt and Nutrient Management Plan (SNMP) for the groundwater basin (CV-SNMP Agencies) hired West Yost to lead a multi-stakeholder effort, including the Regional Board staff, in the development of the CV-SNMP Workplan. The Workplan included a Groundwater Monitoring Program Workplan and was approved by the Regional Board in October 2021.
The forthcoming work with the CV-SNMP Agencies to implement the CV-SNMP Workplan and develop the CV-SNMP will be a multi-year, multi-stakeholder project that is being conducted pursuant to the State’s Recycled Water Policy. The West Yost team includes the foremost professionals in California in SNMP law and policy (Tess Dunham of Kahn, Soares & Conway, LLP) and stakeholder engagement and outreach (Meagan Wylie of Zephyr Collaboration).
The project is extremely important to the stakeholders and ratepayers in the Coachella Valley. The CV-SNMP must have co-equal objectives to maximize the beneficial use of the groundwater basin, Colorado River water, and recycled water, while also protecting groundwater quality pursuant to State law and the Antidegradation Policy. It must balance regulatory, social, environmental, and economic interests and must be developed through technically defensible methods to ensure approval by the Regional Board along with acceptance/participation of all stakeholders in the Coachella Valley.
The Groundwater Sector at West Yost was chosen to lead this work amongst stiff competition. The decision was based on our long history of leading the development and implementation of innovative technical and policy solutions that balance the water-supply challenges of water/wastewater agencies and State mandates to protect water quality, including our successful experience in salt-and-nutrient management planning, our preeminent skills in computer-simulation modeling of water quality, and our track record in leading multi-stakeholder groups and technical committees.
West Yost is working with the CV-SNMP Agencies and the Regional Board staff in developing an SNMP that helps achieve water-supply and water-quality sustainability to benefit all stakeholders in the Coachella Valley. The West Yost team and the CV-SNMP Agencies are partners in this important and meaningful work.
Coachella Valley Salt and Nutrient Management Plan Agencies
The project manager for this effort is Andy Malone, PG, Principal Geologist in the West Yost Groundwater Sector.
Team Spotlight
Andy Malone, PG
Principal Geologist II
Andy Malone, PG
Principal Geologist II
“Groundwater interests me because it’s a renewable resource. I try to live my life, personally and professionally, with a consideration for long-term sustainability. My job at West Yost, and the fantastic people that I get to work with and work for, have given meaningfulness and energy to my life.
The most rewarding project I have worked on has been a long-term project to manage land subsidence in the Chino Basin. The technical focus of the project has been on understanding the relationship between aquifer-system hydraulics and aquifer-system mechanics (i.e. deformation of the aquifer-system sediments that can result in land subsidence). The project has been instrumental in my professional development. Along the way, I have been fortunate to work with, and learn from, eminent professionals in this field of study. Over the last two decades the project has involved: installing monitoring facilities; performing aquifer-system stress tests; conducting monitoring programs; computer-simulation modeling of groundwater flow and aquifer-system deformation; and using this information to develop practical, adaptive solutions to minimize the future occurrence of land subsidence in a heavily urbanized groundwater basin.”
Carolina Sanchez, PE
Senior Engineer I
Carolina Sanchez, PE
Senior Engineer I
“Water is such an important aspect of our lives and most people where we live are fortunate to not have to think about where their water comes from and where it is going. Most people don’t consider how many opportunities there are to improve our reliability to secure that the resources are here forever for us all. My work days are spent making it more reliable, which is very exciting. There is a real live application and direct impact results from what I am doing.
Last year we facilitated a stakeholder-led collaborative process to review all of the challenges coming up for a specific groundwater basin in the next 20 years. Our task was to obtain information, ideas and feedback from the stakeholders on how to address each of the challenges facing the region to stay one step ahead in their water management. Many specific interests were represented and each had to take a more regional view to see the benefits for everyone and how they relate to one another. Together we developed the Optimum Basin Management Plan Update which will guide the region for the next 20 years!”
Matt Baillie, PG, CHG
Senior Hydrogeologist II
Matt Baillie, PG, CHG
Senior Hydrogeologist II
“I find groundwater fascinating and love how complex and rewarding the study of water is, especially in California!”