WATER TOPICS

WATER: LIFE-BLOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY

All communities need a dependable, high quality water supply. This is especially true for mountain communities who may eventually need to import water to meet their future water demands. Imported water supplies are often difficult to find and expensive to deliver to isolated communities.

The first step in responsibly managing our supply is to understand the limits of the local water resources to anticipate when alternative water sources will be needed. During the past 30 years, no less than eleven studies by seven highly qualified consultants have been completed specifically to understand the water resources within the Big Bear Valley. Each of these studies used the information collected during previous investigations and incorporated all new information available at that time. Because of this process, local water managers, businesses, and residents have a very good, science-based estimate of the limitations of our ground water resource. Nonetheless, updated information on precipitation, water levels in wells, and geologic information from new test holes continues to be collected and evaluated on an ongoing basis.

An evaluation of the perennial yield from our local aquifers, the current water demand, and projected water demand to meet the future needs of the community, clearly indicate that we need to find additional sources of water for the valley. In the near-term, water conservation and incorporation of innovative projects like water recharge being proposed by BBARWA are key to Big Bear Valley's water management strategy.

REMEMBER,
WATER IS A COMMUNITY RESOURCE WITH A COMMUNITY SOLUTION.

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