Conjunctive Use of Surface Water and Ground Water for Master Planning of Water Supply

The City of Victorville, located in the Mojave Desert of Southern California, is employing a numerical ground water flow model to help optimize the conjunctive use of limited surface water and ground water supplies as part of master planning for the City's municipal water supply.  The City of Victorville and surrounding communities have historically relied solely on ground water for water supply, resulting in over draft conditions.  Since 1980 ground water levels have declined more than 60 feet beneath much of the basin.  The model, which was calibrated from 1980 to present, is being utilized to estimate the safe yield of the basin, the depletion point of existing and proposed wells, the potential benefits of a proposed surface water treatment plant, and the benefits of several proposed ground water recharge facilities under a variety of future demand growth scenarios.  The model is being optimized to adequately meet future water demands while minimizing impacts to the ground water basin, minimizing future infrastructure costs, and maintaining high-quality ground water supplies.