Rialto honored with SCAG Sustainability Award for IEUA partnership

Rialto, Calif. – Rialto is honored to be the first recipient of the Carmen Ramirez Award for Equity, to be presented by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) at its upcoming General Assembly in Palm Desert.

The City is being recognized for its recycled water partnership with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA). Under the unique 50-year agreement, Rialto will sell a portion of its recycled water supply to IEUA that was previously sent to the Santa Ana River and eventually to the Pacific Ocean. IEUA will fund the design, construction and operation of a pipeline, pump station and connection between the wastewater plant and the agency’s own recycled water distribution system.

The agreement also sets the stage to design, permit and construct Lake Rialto – a 10-acre natural environment that would include one mile of pedestrian perimeter trails, and provide opportunities for passive recreation, educational programming and public outreach.

The Carmen Ramirez Award, part of SCAG’s annual Sustainability Awards, is named after the late Ventura County Supervisor, who was tragically killed in 2022 after a lifetime of championing sustainability, mobility and equity, and tirelessly supporting numerous local civic organizations.

“As a friend and colleague of Carmen’s on SCAG’s Regional Council, I am honored to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the City,” said Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson. “We are also extremely proud of our partnership with IEUA as we address one of the biggest environmental challenges we face here in the West and many parts of the world – the availability of water. Advanced recycling technology and innovative partnerships such as this represent a huge step forward, while also setting the stage for the Lake Rialto habitat project.”

Recently, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced $2 million in federal funding to construct the Lake Rialto Habitat Management Community Open Space project, 10 acres of lake and wetlands that will protect vulnerable species and play a vital role in the environmental success for the Santa Ana River Conservation Plan.