Box Springs Mutual completes 1.3-million-gallon reservoir in Moreno Valley

Box Springs Mutual Water Company marked completion of a new 1.3-million-gallon storage reservoir in Moreno Valley, Calif., a project backed by a $2.3 million state drought-resiliency grant. The upgrade is meant to improve reliability during peak demand and emergencies, while setting up future work on a new well and PFAS treatment.

Why it matters: - The new reservoir gives Box Springs Mutual Water Company more storage and more room to handle drought, peak demand and emergencies. - The project was funded by a $2.3 million California Department of Water Resources grant, so construction costs were not shifted to customers. - The reservoir is part of a longer-term effort to strengthen water reliability for about 750 customers in Moreno Valley.

What happened: - Box Springs Mutual Water Company celebrated completion of a new 1.3-million-gallon water storage reservoir in Moreno Valley, California. - The Board of Directors marked the milestone with an “official presentation of the keys” to the general manager. - The company said the reservoir is a major milestone in its century-long service history in the community.

The details: - The reservoir increases the company’s resiliency and strengthens service during high-demand periods and emergency conditions. - Box Springs Mutual Water Company has served the Moreno Valley area since 1920, when local landowners formed the company to bring water to their lands. - The company has relied on local groundwater for more than a century. - Since 1964, the company has supplemented groundwater through a partnership with Western Municipal Water District. - The company serves approximately 750 customers across a 440-acre service area. - The reservoir project was funded through a $2.3 million California Department of Water Resources drought-resiliency grant. - John McDermott, board president, said the reservoir reflects the board’s commitment to safe, reliable water for the next 100 years. - McDermott said the grant kept the financial burden off customers. - Mark Iverson, general manager, said the reservoir is the first step in a broader infrastructure plan. - Iverson said the company plans a new production well nearby. - Iverson said a treatment plant to remove PFAS from groundwater will follow.

Between the lines: - The project shows how small mutual water systems can use state funding to modernize critical infrastructure without raising customer costs. - The planned well and PFAS treatment point to a broader shift from short-term storage improvements to long-term supply and water-quality planning. - CalMutuals highlighted the reservoir as an example of what mutual water companies can do with access to grants and operational support.

What’s next: - Box Springs Mutual Water Company plans to keep investing in infrastructure to protect and strengthen the community’s water supply. - The next steps include a new production well and, later, a PFAS treatment plant. - CalMutuals is expected to continue promoting similar projects among mutual water companies statewide.

The bottom line: - Box Springs Mutual’s new reservoir is both a near-term reliability upgrade and the opening move in a broader water-supply strategy for Moreno Valley.