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Services We Provide

May contain: human and person
First IWD well.

For over half a century the Idyllwild Water District has maintained a safe water supply for domestic and commercial needs, as well as sewage collection and treatment facilities. IWD manages both water and wastewater services in the mountainous community of Idyllwild in Riverside County. This area is part of a semiarid mountain region in the San Jacinto mountains that receives an average precipitation of 28 inches each year. By impounding the seasonal flows of Strawberry Creek, capturing as much as possible of very intermittent storm run off, the District replenishes and maintains Foster Lake and its natural underground reservoir. From this source it recharges almost all of the water used by over 1600 IWD customers. Sewer service is provided to almost one third of these customers. With a commercial district of over 175 accounts, the Idyllwild Village is the economic hub of the Hill communities. The District’s service area is comprised of roughly 2500 acres, with 30 miles of water lines and 10 miles of sewer lines. Facilities operated by the District include 28 wells, water treatment plant, storage and distribution system (including Fire Protection Facilities), waste water treatment plant and sewage collection system. Currently the district has ten employees, and is divided into four areas: water, sewer, field operations and administration. District funding is provided through user fees.

May contain: person, human, vegetation, plant, tree, outdoors, forest, nature, land, and woodland
1945: Dr. Paul Foster points to site of Foster Lake reservoir prior to construction

 

May contain: human and person
1946: Foster Lake reservoir construction. Photo: Idyllwild Area Historical Society

 

May contain: nature, outdoors, rural, countryside, farm, field, and land
1946: Foster Lake reservoir construction. Photo: Idyllwild Area Historical Society

 

Crowd of people
1972: Claire Strickland makes a point at a well-attended IWD board meeting. Photo: Idyllwild Area Historical Society

 

May contain: human, person, and people
1975: IWD gets a new computer, allowing bimonthly billing instead of annual. Left to right: Bill Whitener, Esther Cass and Cheryl Setzer. Photo: Idyllwild Area Historical Society

 

May contain: vehicle, transportation, and boat
Construction of a new 460,000 gallon water tank near Saunders Meadow in 1973. 

 

Water tank construction
The construction of the new 40,000 gallon sewer clarifier/aeration tank.

 

May contain: human, person, and machine
Brand-new sewer clarifier/aeration machinery.

 

May contain: person, human, nature, and outdoors
Jerry Johnson & Glen Brubaker at opening of a new water line (date unknown). Photo: Idyllwild Area Historical Society

 

May contain: human, person, clothing, and apparel
Preparing for the massive new IWD sewer system.

 

May contain: human, person, apparel, clothing, transportation, vehicle, automobile, and car
Breaking ground for the new sewer system.

 

May contain: person, human, vehicle, truck, transportation, machine, and wheel
Getting ready to start installing the new sewer line in Idyllwild.

 

May contain: human, person, water, outdoors, transportation, tractor, vehicle, and bulldozer
1975: John Gibson (left) and John Norman planting 500 trees to prevent erosion at evaporation and percolation pools. Photo: Idyllwild Area Historical Society

 

 

May contain: transportation, vehicle, and truck
Old-time hydro washer.