For Water Subcommittee Meeting April 30, 2026
TO: Water Subcommittee Members
APPROVAL: Tanya Williams, City Manager
FROM: Nicole Hemmans, Senior Administrative Analyst
Title
Provide the Water Subcommittee with a Status Update on the Rialto Supplemental Recycled Water Supply Project, Which Is Being Developed in Coordination with and Led by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency.
Body
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Water Subcommittee receive and file the project update.
BACKGROUND:
In April 2024, the City of Rialto and Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) entered into agreement to define the terms and conditions for the sale of recycled water supply for the benefit of the Chino Basin Project (CBP).
As part of this agreement, IEUA is developing the City of Rialto Supplemental Recycled Water Supply Project as one piece of IEUA’s larger CBP. The Rialto Supplemental Recycled Water Supply Project will provide supplemental supply to IEUA’s CBP and will develop new local water supply that enhances the overall water supply reliability and resiliency of the region. The IEUA CBP will include the construction and operation of a recycled water pump station and pipeline connection between the City of Rialto’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and the IEUA Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) being currently designed at IEUA’s Regional Plant 4 (RP-4) in Rancho Cucamonga.
IEUA is currently advancing the CBP and moving steadily toward final design of the proposed recycled water pump station and pipeline connection between Rialto’s WWTP and RP-4. Over the past several months, a series of coordination meetings have been held to refine key elements of the project. The City and RWS/Veolia, has been actively engaged in these discussions and has played an important role in evaluating and identifying preferred tie-in options at the WWTP and proposed pipeline alignments within the WWTP, to facilitate reliable delivery of recycled water to the proposed IEUA recycled water pump station. As a result of these coordination meetings, multiple options were identified for tie-in modifications and pipeline alignments through the WWTP and provided in the attached technical memorandum (Attachment 1).
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Through a series of coordination meetings over the past several months, IEUA, the City, and RWS/Veolia collaboratively evaluated multiple alternatives for both tie-in locations at the WWTP and associated pipeline alignments. These discussions considered factors such as constructability, operational efficiency, cost, and minimizing impacts to existing facilities. Several feasible options were developed and refined through iterative reviews. Based on subsequent internal discussions between the City and RWS/Veolia, both parties are aligned in supporting the recommended preferred options as outlined in the attached technical memorandum, as follows:
• Recycled water pipeline alignment through the WWTP: Alternative 2 with general alignment along the western property line at the WWTP and routed south of the existing secondary clarifiers.
• Effluent tie-in at the Chlorine Contact Tanks: Option 5 which will modify the inlet splitter box to the Chlorine Contact Tanks (CCT) and isolate CCT3 to allow CCT3 to be dedicated for delivering supplemental recycled water supply to the IEUA pump station, when diversions to IEUA are occurring. This option is preferred because it minimizes the need for plant modifications while allowing Veolia to maintain full operational control over the treatment process and delivery of recycled water to the proposed IEUA pump station. The selected alternative also allows for normal maintenance work on CCT 3, when the IEUA facilities are not in service.
This memorandum, prepared as part of the preliminary design phase, summarizes discussions to date and identifies the preferred options that will be carried forward into final design in the coming months. This item is being presented to the committee for informational purposes; as final design advances, staff will return with updates for further review and discussion.
Project Schedule
The IEUA recycled water pump station and pipeline is anticipated to be online and operational in 2032.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
Approval of the proposed action also complies with the following City of Rialto Guiding Principles, General Plan Goals and Policies: “Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.”
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
Upon completion of construction and acceptance of the improvements, ownership and operational responsibility will be defined and obligated to IEUA as applicable for the proposed pump station and pipeline.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
There is no financial impact on the RUA’s Wastewater Enterprise Fund associated with final design of this project.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Technical Memorandum 1 - Rialto Pipeline Conveyance System Optimization