The Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency (BBARWA) has prepared a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the Replenish Big Bear Program and has authorized the release of the NOP for public comment.
Project Description: Replenish Big Bear includes permitting, design, and construction of full advanced treatment facility upgrades at the existing BBARWA WWTP, more than 7 miles of pipeline for product water and RO brine minimization, three pump stations, a groundwater recharge facility, and up to four monitoring wells.
The Program is currently estimated to produce approximately 1,950 acre-feet per year (AFY) of high-quality purified water, and may produce up to 2,210 AFY by 2040 through operation of a high-recovery brine minimization technology. Piloting will be conducted to confirm the feasibility of the higher yield estimates. For the purposes of this document, 2,210 AFY is used to be conservative in evaluating environmental impacts. The Shay Pond discharge will replace potable water currently discharged to the water body to maintain the water flow through the pond. Up to 80 AFY of purified water will be sent to Shay Pond, and any remaining purified water will be sent to Stanfield Marsh Wildlife and Waterfowl Preserve (Stanfield Marsh), a tributary of Big Bear Lake (Lake). A more detailed project description can be found attached to the NOP electronically at the following web address: https://www.replenishbigbear.com/documents.
Comment Period: Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines, any response and/or comments on the NOP must be submitted to the Lead Agency as soon as possible, but not later than forty-five (45) days after the date upon this Notice. The NOP comment period begins on November 30, 2022 and ends on January 17, 2023. Please send your written responses, including any comments you may have on this project, by 5:00 PM on January 17, 2023 via regular mail or e-mail to:
Bridgette Burton
Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency
121 Palomino Drive
P.O. Box 517
Big Bear City, CA 92314
Email: bburton@bbarwa.org | Telephone: 909-584-4524
Scoping Meeting: Two public scoping meetings will be held to receive verbal public comments and suggestions on the environmental issues associated with implementation of the Replenish Big Bear Program that will be addressed in the EIR. These meetings will be identical in nature and will enable two meetings for each of the community areas within which the Program would be installed. The scoping meetings will be open to the public and held at the following locations and at the following times:
City of Big Bear Lake, Department of Water and Power
41972 Garstin Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
From 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on January 5, 2023
Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency
121 Palomino Drive, Big Bear City, CA 92314
From 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on January 10, 2023
