CSA70 W4 - Pioneertown 

The District encompasses less than one square mile of property in the “low desert”, located between Landers and Yucca Valley, northwest of Highway 62. 

Growth Areas and Population Trends – CSA 70 W-4 provides water service to approximately 326 customers.  Most of these are either retired persons and / or off-road enthusiasts.  Pioneertown’s residents commute to either Riverside or Palm Springs to conduct business. The medium income of the District is $17,669 based on the 1990 census.

The area was growing until a moratorium for issuing meters was imposed by the Environmental Health Services dated September 1,1999 (See Interoffice Memos in Appendix 5).  The District build out is approximately 300 parcels, and this project is based on supplying water for a total build out of 300 gallons per minute (gpm) maximum day demand.

History – CSA 70 W-4 has 126 metered connections with 114 active and 12 inactive.  The maximum average day demand is approximately 50,000 gallons per day (56 ac-ft / year).  The minimum average day demand is approximately 18,000 gallons per day (20 ac-ft / year).

There are approximately three-hundred (300) one-quarter (¼) acre parcels in the District.  174 parcels are unimproved and without meters. The majority of the development in the District is residential.  The extent of the commercial development is; one small restaurant, two small motels, one bowling alley and a post office.

Condition of Existing Facilities – Pioneertown has 8 wells ranging in capacity from 3 to 26 gallons per minute.  Most of the wells have constituents that exceed or are on the borderline of the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) set by the State Department of Health Services (SDHS).  Well #6 is not usable because of the extremely high levels of gross alpha radioactivity.  Well #1 has very high levels of arsenic and fluoride, Well #8 has very high levels of arsenic, fluoride, and iron.  Currently, CSA 70 W-4 cannot meet the SDHS and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arsenic or fluoride requirements.  The EPA has just implemented the arsenic requirement of 10 parts per billion (ppb) in 2001.  Compliance is required by 2006.  The SDHS also requires that to meet standards by blending several wells together, the blend must be lower than 80% of the MCL.

Well 7	Reservior 2	Wells 8 & 10

The District has reached the limit of the aquifer capacity located in the Chaparrosa Wash within its boundaries.  Any additional wells drilled in the Chaparrosa Wash where the majority of the District's wells are located would only lower the water table faster and reduce the output of the existing wells.

Production Summary of Wells in the Wash:

Well 1 @ 0 gpm - Non-producing

Well 0 @ 15 gpm - Intermittent

Well 2 @ 20 gpm - Intermittent

Well 7 @ 20 gpm - Intermittent

Well 8 @ 10 gpm - Continuous

All wells except Well #8 pump-off and shut-down to recharge in the summer throughout the day.  Well #8 can pump 24-hours  / day because it is 500’ deep into fractured sand stone.

Average consumption in Pioneertown is 25,000-50,000 gallons/day.  Well #8 represents approximately 30-35% of the average day consumption.  The other wells, which produce more flow, can not maintain the flow for more than 2-3 hours before having to shut-down and allow the aquifer to recharge.

During the summer months when demand is the highest, the existing wells are dewatering the surrounding aquifer and shutting off.  Several hours must pass until the well zone aquifer recharges and the submersible pump is allowed to restart.

In addition, past pumping records indicate that the groundwater basin that serves Pioneertown is dropping and is expected to continue to drop.  This will probably result in the continuing degradation and increasing mineralization of the groundwater basin.  Levels of arsenic, fluoride, iron, manganese, and other minerals will probably continue to rise.

The surrounding mountains have very low water production and very high mineral contamination and would yield insufficient quantity to solve the District's needs.  No new wells would be contemplated for the District.

Existing Booster Stations – The District has only one (1) pressure zone and no booster stations.  The wells pump directly into the District's reservoirs through the distribution system.

Existing Reservoirs – The District has one 210,000 gallon bolted steel tank, and one 100,000 gallon bolted steel tank.  These tanks are sufficient for the build-out of the District and no new storage capacity is necessary.  The first reservoir (210,000 gallon tank) was constructed in the early 1980's.  In 1995 a second galvanized 100,000 gallon tank was constructed at the same elevation a half-mile to the west.

Existing Waterlines – The District has approximately 4.4 miles of distribution piping.  The system piping is AC (Asbestos Cement) pipe and in excellent condition.  Due to its small one-square mile area, no major transmission mains are necessary.  Any additional distribution piping required would be constructed and paid for by a new property owner requesting water service.

Water Meters – At this time there are no metered connections above a 1” meter in the District.  Most meters are ¾”.