A ribbon was cut on an innovative hydroelectric generation project by Fontana Water Company that creates enough electricity to power a local water treatment plant and provide excess power back to the local utility grid.

In the project, the existing water flow is used to produce electricity without burning fossil fuels making it a renewable and sustainable source of power. The Fontana Water Company’s Sandhill Surface Water Treatment Plant in Rialto is the first one of its kind operating in Southern California.

The “in-conduit” system used by Fontana Water Company takes advantage of the difference in water pressure when the water first enters the plant, which can be 140 psi, and the water pressure needed to safely operate the plant, which is about 10 psi. That difference represents energy that is now being converted to electricity. The Project’s environmental benefits are equivalent to supplying energy to 194 homes, cutting CO2 emissions by 950 tons, and offsetting carbon emissions from 294 vehicles. In this way, the new facility helps meet the state’s climate change goals.

“We all need to make wise and efficient use of our natural resources. Using our available drinking water supplies to also generate clean, renewable energy helps us achieve these important goals.” ~ Michael Whitehead