The recipient will provide critical upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to produce valuable reclaimed water

The City of Banning received a $64.8 million Project Grant award from the Bureau of Reclamation under the Water Recycling and Desalination Construction Programs (CFDA 15.504) on September 4, 2025, with an ultimate completion date of September 3, 2028. The award funds planning, design, and construction activities to upgrade the City's existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to produce advanced tertiary treated recycled water. This infrastructure upgrade will deliver approximately 2,470 acre-feet per year of locally sourced non-potable water to support both irrigation customers and groundwater recharge operations.

The project addresses water supply resilience for Banning's economically disadvantaged population of 31,680 residents by establishing a sustainable local water source that reduces reliance on imported water and groundwater depletion. The recycled water will be distributed to current groundwater irrigation customers while excess water discharges to percolation ponds for aquifer recharge, thereby improving drought resilience, climate adaptability, and overall water management efficiency. The project aligns with the Bureau of Reclamation's mission to develop and supplement water supplies in the water-scarce Western United States through water reuse and diversified supply portfolios.

This project will address the urgent need to increase locally sourced water supplies with recycled water. This is important to the economically disadvantaged communities that comprise the recipients population (31,680 residents) giving them the unprecedented opportunity to use every gallon of water twice. By producing a new local, sustainable water supply source, the recipient will improve its drought resilience, climate adaptability, and its water management efficiency. The project includes the planning, design, and construction activities to upgrade the existing WWTP to produce advanced tertiary treated recycled water. A portion of the water will be used to serve irrigation customers currently using groundwater recharged by imported water, and the rest will discharge to the recipient percolation ponds for groundwater recharge. This will increase the supply and reliability of locally sourced non-potable water by an estimated 2,470 acre-feed per year (AFY).