The award-winning project was State Prop 84 funded and consisted of a regional effort between the City of Palmdale, the Antelope Valley – East Kern Water Agency (AVEK), Palmdale Water District (PWD), Los Angeles County Waterworks District (LACWD) and Department of Water Resources (DWR) to improve the reliability of the region’s water supply. Implementation of the project enables the storage of water in the local Antelope Valley Groundwater Basin for use by the region during periods of drought or disruptions in State Water Project operations.
“This project was a culmination of a decade’s worth of planning, design, and construction,” said Palmdale’s Director of Public Works Chuck Heffernan. “It included a number of unique features and challenges that incorporated innovative solutions to regional needs for water storage while bringing in recreational components and environmental protections to enhance the quality of life for the local community.”
Major components of the Upper Amargosa Creek Recharge Project include a new turnout off the California Aqueduct, a mile of 48 inch in diameter pipeline, recharge basins and associated facilities, and nature walking trails with a pedestrian bridge in conjunction with improvement of the flood control channel to prevent flooding.
“The project required substantial coordination in addition to our partners, including the Department of Water Resources Turnouts & Special Projects Division as well as their Grant Divisions and the Department of Fish and Wildlife,” Heffernan noted.
Another benefit of the project includes 2.5 miles of multi-use nature trails with shade structures, educational signage, and landscaping that will connect the community to the local environment. Additionally, the project will preserve natural hillsides and restore and enhance the Native Mojave Desert scrub, riparian vegetation and wildlife habitats along the creek, which will also protect water quality.
For more information, call the Department of Public Works at 661-267-5300.
[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]
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Leon (Lee) Swain says
Well done Palmdale! I am looking forward to attending the ribbon-cutting of this project today.
As a former Director of Public Works in Palmdale, I came up with the idea for this project in about 2006 when 11 public agencies joined to form a Regional Water Management Group to work together to create an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. Members of the group included the City of Palmdale, Los Angeles County Waterworks District 40, Los Angeles County Sanitation District Nos. 14 and 20, Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, Palmdale Water District, Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, A.V. State Water Contractors Association (made up of AVEK, PWD & Littlerock Creek Irrigation District), Quartz Hill Water District, Rosamond Community Services District and the City of Lancaster. Beginning in May, 2006, 17 stakeholder meetings were held while developing the draft plan in order to receive public input in developing the plan. The Integrated Regional Water Management Plan was unanimously approved by all 11 partnering agencies with this project ranking the highest of all projects in the original plan for project benefits and meeting the goals of the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan.
The idea for this groundwater recharge project came about when I realized that:
1) One of the best recharge areas in the Antelope Valley (the Upper Amargosa Creek as it leaves the base of the mountains);
2) the California Aqueduct; and ,
3) one of the deepest cones of depressions in the Antelope Valley Groundwater Basin ALL met at this specific geographical location.
Before I left Palmdale for Santa Monica in 2008, I reinforced how important this project was to the water sustainability of the City and the Antelope Valley through presentations to the Palmdale Planning Commission, the Palmdale Water District and the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency. When I returned to the City of Palmdale as Interim Director in 2016/17, I was very pleased to see that the project was nearing completion of the lengthy project permitting stage and I am SO thankful all the City of Palmdale staff over the years were able to get this project across the finish line after more than a decade of planning. It is MOST deserving of an American Public Works Association Project of the Year Award!
Congratulations again Palmdale and all the partnering agencies involved on another fantastic project and staff effort! This project is a key project for Water Resource Sustainability in the Antelope Valley.
I will also note that the City of Palmdale has won many APWA project awards over the last 20 years for its efforts to deliver quality projects to the residents of Palmdale.
Life Imitates Life says
Ring. Ring.
Hofbauer: “Hello.”
Rex Parris: “Hello, Steve. I am supporting your campaign to be mayor of Palmdale.”
Hofbauer: “Thank you very much.”
Rex Parris: “I have a favor to ask, though….”
Hofbauer: “Yes. Yes. Whatever you say, Mr. Mayor.”
Rex Parris: “I want you to run a dirty campaign against Mayor James Ledford. And, of course, you’ll owe me big time.”
And, so it went. Quid pro quo. Of course, the DA keeps delaying the case for well over a year to sideline Mayor Ledford. If they really had something, they would have had the trial already.
Sound familiar?
LCR says
You’re a miserable, divisive soul, William. Respect the voters choice. Have a productive and uplifting day elected politicians.
Eyes on Hofbauer says
You can’t name anything Hofbauer has accomplished as mayor can you LCR whatever that stands for?
Kathryn says
I agree 100% with Art F., Phil Kaufman, and the rest of the commenters that understand that Mayor Hofbauer, Austin Bishop, etc., have been chosen by the Palmdale voters, and are doing fine so far. It’s always the same group with the same negative comments. Happy to see some positive comments about our elected politicians!
LCR says
Let them waste their time slamming the politicians, it’s obvious the voters aren’t paying attention to these ridiculous comments. Some of the comments are even laughable.
Question Lancaster Authority says
Hofbauer, good. Bishop, not good.
Bishop is Marv’s puppet. Hofbauer is his own man.
Phil Kaufman says
Yes, it was and is a collective effort. Thank you, also, to our current mayor, and all those along with him that continue to make Palmdale a great city.
Eyes on Hofbauer says
“This project was a culmination of a decade’s worth of planning, design, and construction,” said Palmdale’s Director of Public Works Chuck Heffernan.
Hofbauer has been mayor a year. Exactly what did he do on this project that you credit him for?
Every time you guys try to credit Hofbauer with something like this or the Sprouts project that was done on Mayor Ledford’s watch, it just shows how little Hofbauer has actually done.
In other words, COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
Keep it up.
Phil Kaufman says
Mayor Hofbauer has been on the planning commission since 1992, and has been on the city council throughout. Those who know the facts and vote responsibly have spoken, by voting for Mayor Hofbauer, and the other elected officials, including Austin Bishop. This project has been a collective effort all along. As far as the Sprouts project is concerned, there is a group of voters that are concerned about irresponsible growth on the west side. The west side is already packed with congestion. We will see about what happens.
Palmdalian says
Facts? You mean the Lancaster funded hit mailers that flooded my mailbox? Paid for by the Eye on Palmdale, a Lancaster funded group that is run by Loa? Facts?
You wouldn’t know a fact if it you ran into a wall of facts.
Facts?
Art F. says
Palmdalian: You mean the hit mailers that came out before the elections that didn’t move the voters to show up to vote out the politician responsible? Yes, responsible voters are well aware of the facts, and they aren’t available here. Muddled reasoning that permeates this forum.
Eyes on Hofbauer says
What is Art. F. talking about? He muddled his way through a comment that doesn’t make any sense.
Eye on Palmdale ran a dirty campaign against Mayor Ledford to benefit Hofbauer who hasn’t done anything in the last year but try to take credit for stuff that was already in the pipeline.
Yet, after running that dirty campaign his so-called fans here are terribly thin-skinned about comments pointing all this out. Too bad.
We will keep a close eye on Hofbauer especially regarding any issues where he is working in service of Rex Parris to the detriment of Palmdale.
Why else would Parris support his candidacy. Does “quid pro quo” ring a bell? Parris will want something in return for his continued support of Hofbauer OR ELSE.
We like that this gives Hofbauer and his minions headaches here. Well deserved.
JPB says
Well said Eyes on Hofbauer. Art F., Phil Kaufman and the rest of the Lancaster contingent is incapable of comprehending facts and logic. They are just used to taking orders and money from the Fern St. mafia.
I will stay says
This is a joint effort, not done by one man. It was, from it’s inception.
Mike says
Where can I see a Picture / Sketch of the finished project.
Gram Parsons says
Another Mayor Ledford led long term regional project. Thank you Jim