The Wash Plan 
The San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District is pleased to announce the availability of the final Upper Santa Ana River Wash Habitat Conservation Plan (Wash Plan). The Wash Plan is the culmination of over a decade of coordination among our Task Force partners to develop an integrated approach to permit and mitigate all construction and maintenance activities within the Wash area, including water conservation, wells and water infrastructure, aggregate mining, transportation, flood control, agriculture, trails, and habitat enchancement. Implementation of the Wash Plan would result in permanent conservation and management of 1,659.9 acres of native habitats that support slender-horned spineflower, Santa Ana River woolly-star, cactus wren, California gnatcatcher, and San Bernardino kangaroo rat.The Wash Plan and associated Final Environmental Impact Statement and Supplemental Environmental Impact Report are available on our website below.
The San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District Board of Directors is tentatively scheduled to review adoption of the Wash Plan HCP and certification of the Supplemental EIR on July 8, 2020.
Task Force Members
- City of Highland
- City of Redlands
- Redlands Municipal Utilities and Engineering Department
- East Valley Water District
- San Bernardino County Flood Control District
- San Bernardino County Planning/Parks
- Robertson’s Ready Mix
- CEMEX
- San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District
- San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District
Participating Stakeholders
- Bureau of Land Management
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- California Department of Fish and Game
- Highland Community News
- Inland Valley Development Agency
- Endangered Habitats League
Wash Plan History
1993: Representatives from agencies interested in water, mining, flood control, wildlife, and municipal facilities form the Wash Committee to address mining issues within the upper Santa Ana River Wash.
1997: The role of the Wash Committee is expanded to evaluate options for accommodation within the Wash of all functions represented by the participating agencies, including formation of a Policy Action Committee and Technical Advisory Committee.
1998-1999: Workshops are held to develop alternatives for land uses with the Wash Plan area.
2000: General consensus is reached on a land use alternative. The Wash Plan Task Force is formed.
2004: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) publish a Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement under NEPA to amend the South Coast Resource Management Plan to meet the goals of the Wash Plan in the Federal Register, while the Conservation District publishes a Notice of Preparation for an Envirommental Impact Report for the Wash Plan under CEQA. Joint public scoping meetings are held for the Wash Plan.
2008: San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District Board adopts the Upper Santa Ana River Wash Land Management and Habitat Conservation Plan and associated Environmental Impact Report, and files a Notice of Determination under CEQA for the Wash Plan.
2014: Revisions to the Wash Plan reduce overall project impacts and increase species and habitat conservation.
2015: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and BLM publish a Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Wash Plan under NEPA in the Federal Register, while the Conservation District publishes a Notice of Preparation for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Wash Plan under CEQA. Joint public scoping meetings are held for the Wash Plan.
2019: President Trump signs the Santa Ana River Wash Land Exchange Act, clearing the way for a land exchange between the Conservation District and BLM to meet the goals of the Wash Plan. The final Upper Santa Ana River Wash Habitat Conservation Plan and associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Supplemental Environmental Impact Report are available for public review and comment. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publish a Notice of Availabiltiy of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Wash Plan under NEPA in the Federal Register, while the Conservation District publishes a Notice of Availability for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the Wash Plan under CEQA.
2020: Joint NEPA/CEQA public comment meetings are held for the Wash Plan on January 9. The public comment period ends on January 23, 2020. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publish a Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Wash Plan under NEPA in the Federal Register.
Wash Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact Report/Draft Environmental Impact Report
The purpose of the proposed project is to allow the continued use of land and mineral resources while maintaining the biological and hydrological resources of the Planning Area in an environmentally sensitive manner. The Wash Plan is intended to coordinate and manage the present and future activities in the Wash, which are under multiple jurisdictions, each with different needs. The goal of the proposed project is to balance the ground-disturbing activities of aggregate mining, water conservation, and other public services, including recreational activities with quality, natural habitat for endangered, threatened, and sensitive species.
Some of these files are quite large. You may want to right-click on the link and save the target to your local system instead of viewing the file online. All files are provided in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format and require the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
Wash Plan Final EIS/SEIR May 2020-First Half
Wash Plan Final EIS/SEIR May 2020-Second Half
Wash Plan HCP Final EIS/SEIR Appendix F – Responses to Comments
Wash Plan HCP Final (Compressed Version)
Files related to the current Wash Plan can be found below in the Document Manager.