Groundwater Authority reports grant payments, pipeline design milestones and Rademacher consolidation progress

Steve Johnson of Stetson Engineers briefed the Ridgecrest Groundwater Authority on grants, project design milestones and consolidation work, reporting that multiple grant invoices have been paid and design work on a regional pipeline is proceeding toward 90% and 100% design milestones.

"We are up to date on the IP grant," Steve Johnson said, noting invoice No. 10 (Oct—6—24) for about $505,000 and invoice No. 11 (Jan—Mar 2025) for roughly $600,593 have been received. Johnson also updated the board on an Urban Community Drought Relief Program award of about $3.4 million and on a Drinking Water Systems Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program award of approximately $2.8 million; the latter remains under federal grant-implementation steps with EPA staff.

On construction and consolidation work, Johnson said the Rademacher consolidation Phase 1 is complete, with pressure testing and disinfection finished and the district coordinating the final meter connections with the property owner. He said Phase 2 design has been completed and submitted to the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) for approval. "The water district is now just coordinating with the landowner for the connection to the meter," Johnson said.

Board members and Indian Wells Valley Water District representatives discussed who should notify property owners near the Rademacher work about available connections and possible covered costs. George Kroll, general manager of Indian Wells Valley Water District, said the district has not actively reached out but would be willing to place flyers or contact residents if the board wants them to do so. He explained that the grant funding covers pipeline construction and not homeowner service-connection costs; connection fees will need separate authorization or homeowner payment. "We have not actively reached out to those people but if the board would desire we would be happy to go put a flyer on their door," Kroll said.

Board members asked staff to proceed with contacting property owners and agreed that, if action were required, it would be brought back as a separate agendized item; the district indicated it could proceed under manager authority with the board's consensus. Jim Worth (attorney) said a board nod would be sufficient to allow the district to proceed with outreach.

Johnson also reviewed project schedules: multiple technical memoranda remain outstanding (tank design, instrumentation, pump selection, hydraulic analyses), a draft corrosion report and a planned 90% design submittal, and an anticipated 100% design by December 2025. He said environmental analysis will include a 45-day public comment period and right-of-way plats and legal descriptions are expected mid-2025; appraisals and final right-of-way documentation are due before year-end. Johnson reported that annual reporting to DWR satisfied Groundwater Sustainability Board regulations and that DWR wrote the basin appears on track to achieve sustainability under the approved GSP.

On the shallow-well mitigation program, staff reported there were currently no active applications. Board members and the public discussed possible financing options for homeowner service connections; staff and district representatives said no state program is currently available to cover those connection costs and that private contractors sometimes offer secured financing arrangements to property owners.

The board asked staff and district managers to follow up with property owners about the connection option and to return with any required actions or additional funding information.