Chino Desalters

The Chino Basin Desalter Authority (CDA) was formed under a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (JPA) on September 25, 2001, by a group of local agencies, including: City of Chino, City of Chino Hills, City of Norco, City of Ontario, Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA), Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD), Santa Ana River Water Company (SARWC), and Western Municipal Water District (formally admitted on April 2, 2009). The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Chino Basin Desalter Authority is held quarterly, on the first Thursday of the month in January, April, July, and September at 6:00 pm, at the City of Ontario Council Chambers, 303 “B” Street, Ontario.

The Desalters were established to treat contaminated groundwater in the southern portion of the Chino Basin, and to help the Chino Basin Watermaster achieve “hydraulic control” of the basin to stop the flow of contaminated groundwater into the Santa Ana River.

Chino I Desalter
6905 Kimball Avenue
Chino, California 91708

The Chino I Desalter commenced operation in 2001, and was expanded in 2005 from an 8.4 MGD facility to a 14 MGD facility. It is operated by IEUA staff. Groundwater is pumped from supply wells throughout the Chino Basin area to the Chino I Desalter. The treatment processes include Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ion Exchange (IX) for removal of nitrate and total dissolved solids (TDS). The Chino I Desalter also includes air stripping for removal of some volatile organic chemicals (VOC). Approximately 2 million gallons per day of brine, a byproduct of the reverse osmosis and ion exchange processes, is transported by the Inland Empire Brine Line (IEBL) to Orange County and is subsequently discharged to the ocean. The high-quality water is then pumped into the municipal water supply systems for the cities of Chino, Chino Hills and into the Jurupa Community Services District water system.

Chino II Desalter
11201 Harrel Street
Jurupa Valley, California 91752

The Chino II Desalter was initiated by the Chino Desalter Authority (CDA) to provide water deliveries to the cities of Norco, Ontario, Jurupa Community Services District, and Santa Ana River Water Company. The treatment processes include Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ion Exchange (IX). The Chino II Desalter became operational in 2006 and was expanded in 2010. The Chino II Desalter produced an average of 10.6 MGD of drinking water in 2012. The Chino II Desalter produces a little more than 1 MGD of brine that is transported by the Inland Empire Brine Line (IEBL) to Orange County and is subsequently discharged to the ocean.