Water Banking and Exchange Programs

Water Banking and Exchange Programs

Just as you would save money for a rainy day, SCV Water saves water for the “un-rainy” day – in water banks!

What is water banking?

Like our local groundwater, a water bank stores water in an aquifer - the cracks and crevices of soil and rock underground, where water ​can stay until it’s extracted for use. Water is deposited in the bank through spreading or recharge ponds, ​where it can then seep through the sandy or porous soil.  

When the banked water supply is needed, a series of pump stations and canals convey the water to ​the California Aqueduct. From there, it makes its way to Castaic Lake where it continues its journey through our ​treatment and distribution system, right to your homes, businesses, and landscapes. ​

Our Water Banking and Exchange Programs

Water banking and exchange programs increase our water supply reliability by capturing water in wet years, and safely storing our water until we need it.

SCV Water stores about 141,000 acre-feet of water in Kern County, which we can access in dry years, such as times of severe drought.). Our water banking and exchange program partners include: