About Our Water
Safety & Reliability in Challenging Times
AVRWC obtains its water supply from the underground aquifers of the Mojave River Basin. AVRWC pumps 100 percent of our source water from 24 deep wells located throughout our community. These wells draw water from the deep Alto subunit of the basin. This high quality aquifer is recharged from snowmelt from the San Bernardino Mountains to the south and the Mojave River to the west.
In 2003, MWA reached an agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) to store an additional 75,000 acre feet (1 acre foot = approx. 326,000 gallons) of water in the Mojave basin in exchange for MWD to have the right to take an equal amount of water from the State Water Project in the future should there be a significant drought that would reduce imported water to the MWD. This exchange provides a significant benefit to the high desert community by providing a source of recharge water for the groundwater basin.
Some of the water we pump has been age-dated close to 10,000 years old by the United States Geologic Survey. That means it has been protected and naturally filtered for a very long time.
Urban Water Management Plan
The California Water Management Planning Act of 1983 (Act), as amended, requires urban water suppliers to develop an Urban Water Management Plan every five years in the years ending in zero and five to ensure a reliable water source sufficient to meet the needs of its customers during normal, single dry or multiple dry years.
The California legislature declared that
- waters of the state are a limited and renewable resource subject to ever increasing demands
- the conservation and efficient use of urban water supplies are of statewide concern
- successful implementation of plans is best accomplished at the local level
- conservation and efficient use of water shall be actively pursued to protect both the people of the state and their water resources
- conservation and efficient use of urban water supplies shall be a guiding criterion in public decisions
- urban water suppliers shall be required to develop water management plans to achieve conservation and efficient use.
AVRWC’s 2005 UWMP has been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the Act. The 2005 UWMP Update was adopted following a public hearing on November 15, 2005, and has been submitted to the State of California Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of Water Resources.
This UWMP serves as a general, flexible, and open-ended document that is periodically updated to reflect changes in the water supply trends, and water use efficiency policies. This Plan, along with other planning documents, will be used by AVRWC’s staff to guide water use and management efforts through the year 2010, when the UWMP is required to be updated.
Troubleshooting
At times your tap water can have an unusual odor, taste or appearance. In most cases, these aesthetic characteristics do not pose a public health threat. However, since an unusual odor, taste or appearance could be the first indication of a more serious situation, each occurrence must be taken seriously and investigated immediately.
From the time your drinking water is disinfected at the well sites until it reaches your tap, there are multiple reasons that may change its appearance. Sometimes this happens as close as your home's own plumbing.
Read PDF of typical concerns & causes
Consumer Confidence Report
Our 2008-2009 Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) & Annual Water Quality Report are in and available for your download. (Files will open as a .pdf)
Please select from the following reports archives (A pdf file will open for each)
AVR Report 1998 • AVR Report 1999 • AVR Report 2001/2002 • AVR Report 2002/2003 • AVR Report 2003/2004 • AVR Report 2005/2006 - 2005/2006 Spanish • AVR Report 2006/2007 - 2006/2007 Spanish • AVR Report 2007/2008 - 2007/2008 Spanish • Chrom Fact Sheet
When the U.S. Congress passed the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was given the authority to require each community water system to provide each of their customers with a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) every 12 months.
California community water system have been producing water quality reports since 1990. The annual Consumer Confidence Report covers various water quality issues, describes where your water comes from, discusses drinking water standards, and compares the quality of your drinking water to state and federal regulations.
Links to relevant websites
Here are a few websites that will provide information for you:
USEPA Drinking Water Contaminants
CA Department of Public Health Drinking Water Program
CA Department of Public Health Drinking Water Regulations
American Water Works Association
American Water Works Association Research Foundation
Center for Disease Control and Prevention