3 Key Facts About Our Groundwater
Morris Dam
msgbwatermaster
We All Have A Role In Its Care
Watermaster Protects Vast Groundwater Basin By Elizabeth Smilor, Executive Editor
than they do. Flood Control’s job is to protect life and property, but they have worked with us since the 1970s to hold as much water here without putting
As Water Awareness Month closes, we’re sharing the story of 3 key facts about our groundwater:
Fact 1
anyone at risk,” Gardner said. “They capture 95% of all rainfall in this watershed because we have soft bottom channels. Other areas, including the Los Angeles River, have concrete channels for flood control. A 95% capture rate is unheard of anywhere else in the County.” Gardner was appointed executive officer for Watermaster in March 2025 and for the Raymond Basin Management Board in January 2023. She previously held the position of assistant executive officer for both agencies and has more than 35 years of water management and resource planning experience in the region. She oversees groundwater quality and supply management activities as well as administration of the Basin’s groundwater adjudication. She directs staff functions associated with basin management as it directly relates to groundwater production, well construction, groundwater treatment and resource planning. “Mrs. Gardner’s 15 years of dedicated service to Watermaster have equipped her with the knowledge and expertise necessary to effectively manage the Basin’s groundwater quality and supply initiatives in accordance with the judgement,” said Watermaster Board of Directors Chair Lynda Noriega. Watermaster has a nine-member board with each member
100% of us in the San Gabriel Valley depend on our groundwater every day. We are 1.5 million people who are connected to this one source of water. From the San Gabriel Mountains to the Puente Hills, our groundwater is our common ground and common cause.
I n terms of water supply, Kelly Gardner says the San Gabriel Valley won the “geographic lottery” — making the region more sustainable and resilient. “Under our feet is a groundwater basin that can hold about 8.6 million acre-feet of water and it is replenished via the protected spreading grounds at the 605/210 freeway interchange,” said Gardner, Executive Officer of the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster that administers the Basin’s adjudicated water rights. “When the water is in the groundwater table it’s safe. It doesn’t evaporate. It doesn’t suffer from a potential dam failure or other disruptions.” The Main San Gabriel Groundwater Basin provides about 80% of the water supply for more than 1.5 million residents in the San Gabriel Valley. The water that is held more than 100 yards below the surface over approximately 167 square miles is mostly local — from rainfall, snowmelt and conservation. A smaller portion is imported from Northern California via the State Water Project (SWP). While Watermaster, formed in 1973, manages the Basin, the Santa Fe Spreading Grounds are maintained by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. “I often say that we care more about the spreading grounds
Fact 2
80% of the water we use every day in the San Gabriel Valley comes from groundwater. It supplies most of the water needed for every shower, cup of coffee, dishwasher and hose. That groundwater is held deep down underground in the Main San Gabriel Basin.
Fact 3
100% of the time, our groundwater is in a drought cycle. When you replace the idea of being in or out of drought with being in a constant drought cycle, it’s clear why our care of our groundwater must be constant, too.
Watermaster is here for our groundwater and for you. To know more about the Main San Gabriel Basin, please visit: thewatersthatconnectus.com
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