East Valley Water District (District) was awarded a $1.1 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund a District Water Main Seismic Retrofit Study. The study will include main line assessments, project designs, and a prevention plan to enhance water system reliability in the event of an earthquake.
"East Valley Water District works collaboratively with State and Federal partners to identify funding sources to maintain a reliable water system," commented Board Chairman Phillip R. Goodrich. "We are fortunate to have been awarded with this specialized grant, which will help fund our ongoing emergency resiliency programs."
Upon completion of the retrofit study, the District will become eligible to receive additional funding available through FEMA. During the secondary funding phases, East Valley Water District could receive funding needed to retrofit pipelines identified during the study.
"East Valley Water District works hard to provide world-class service for our community, making the District competitive for these Federal grants," stated Brian Tompkins, Interim General Manager/CEO. "As a rate-based water and wastewater service provider, grants like these allow East Valley Water District to make significant system investments without having to pass along those costs to customers."
East Valley Water District has made significant investments in building a resilient water system to maintain service in the event of a natural disaster. The District has engineered water redundancies, conducts year-round staff training, and developed a community communication plan. The HMGP grant provides an additional opportunity to continue building a resilient infrastructure for the District's 104,000 customers.
For information about East Valley Water District, please visit eastvalley.org.
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East Valley Water District was formed in 1954 and provides water and wastewater services to over 104,000 residents within the City of Highland and portions of both the City and County of San Bernardino. EVWD operates under the direction of a 5-member elected Board. More information is available at www.eastvalley.org.
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