Rep. Cisneros Leads Effort to Fund San Gabriel Basin Restoration

Washington, DC - Congressman Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-31) led a bicameral letter to the Secretary of the Interior urging that the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund receive $5.5 million in the Bureau of Reclamation's operating plan for Fiscal Year '25. The San Gabriel Basin provides drinking water for over 1.5 million residents in the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles County, including the cities of Alhambra, Irwindale, La Puente, Rosemead, Azusa, Baldwin Park, City of Industry, El Monte, South El Monte, and West Covina.

"While not a traditional Bureau of Reclamation project, the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority has nearly 34 active groundwater cleanup projects throughout the San Gabriel Valley to treat and serve water to the public," wrote Rep. Cisneros and the lawmakers. "If the San Gabriel Basin was forced to import an equal amount of the water treated locally in the 23/24 water year - a total of 75,255 acre feet - the cost may have exceeded $100 million. Treating local groundwater to drinking water standards and providing that to local water purveyors is a cost-effective and innovative approach that also takes pressure off the Colorado River and the California State Water Project."

The letter was co-signed by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, and U.S. Representatives Linda Sánchez and Judy Chu. Full text of the letter is available here.

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