The barona band of mission indians has planned and designed a potable water pipeline to import water supplies from the ramona municipal water district to the reservation

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded the Barona Group of the Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians $21.9 million under the Domestic Water Supply Projects program (CFDA 15.577) on August 18, 2025, to design and construct a potable water pipeline infrastructure project serving the Barona Reservation in Lakeside, California. The project addresses critical water supply and quality challenges facing the tribal community, including dramatic seasonal groundwater depletion exceeding 500 feet during drought periods, insufficient well yields, and elevated nitrate concentrations in domestic wells. The funded pipeline will import reliable water supplies from the Ramona Municipal Water District to replace the current practice of expensive and inefficient water trucking across difficult terrain in rural San Diego County.

The project is expected to achieve completion by December 1, 2027, representing approximately a two-and-a-half-year implementation timeline typical for construction-phase awards under this federal grant program. By establishing permanent pipeline infrastructure, the Barona Band will achieve sustainable domestic water supply reliability to meet existing tribal community demand while mitigating the operational and financial burdens associated with temporary water importation solutions.

During drought years, groundwater levels in the lakeside area decline more than 500 feet, resulting in insufficient well yields for the tribe. Domestic wells on the reservation also have high nitrate levels, and concentrations will further increase as droughts continue. To address water supply and quality issues, the tribe has been forced to truck in water to the reservation, across the steep, rocky terrain of rural SAN diego county, which is expensive and inefficient. To reliably meet the existing domestic water demand of the tribal community, the barona band of mission indians has planned and designed a pipeline to be constructed under this project.