San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District

🔹 Waterwise Gardening Partner 🔹
Interested in designing a Waterwise garden at home, work, and in your communiy? Our website offers some new resources for gardeners and homeowners courtesy of the Chino Basin Water Conservation District. Their Waterwise Community Center has solutions, garden features, and practical advice for why you should consider a Waterwise or California native landscape renovation.

There's also a free 2.5-hour introduction workshop on Landscape Renovation for Waterwise Home Gardens, as well as on-demand tutorials, a native plant nursery, and Waterwise design DIY tips:
https://sbvwaterconservation.gov/waterwise-gardening-partners/

🔹 Fine Gardening Magazine Featured on District’s Website 🔹

With our focus on water conservation, the District has been granted permission from Fine Gardening magazine to share their Spring 2026 article on our website: Healthy Gardens: Strategic Site Water Management for Gardeners - a residential-scale groundwater recharge guide. Author and APLD Certified Landscape Designer Mark G. Brotton shares expert advice on how to treat every drop of water that falls on your property as an asset. The end results are stunning gardens with lower water bills that filter runoff and recharge the local aquifer.

Read the article on our website:
https://sbvwaterconservation.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Brotton_HG_FG227.pdf

A memorial service honoring former District former Director, Bert Provo "Pete" Marcum Jr., took place this weekend in Redlands. Director Marcum passed away on April 16, 2026 and was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1941.

Over the course of his career, Pete was elected director of several water and soil conservation districts and companies: the Redlands-Highland-Yucaipa Resources Conservation District, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, and the Bear Valley Mutual Water Company.

At the University of Redlands, Pete met many of his lifetime buddies and joined the Kappa Sig fraternity. Most importantly, he met his future wife, Barbara, in the U of R lunch line. After surviving perilous rides in his Austin Healey, they married in 1966 at the First Congregational Church of Redlands, honeymooned in Yosemite, and moved into their forever home.

Pete studied business and finance, but wound up in the citrus business like his forebears, first as pest control manager at Redlands Farming Company. In 1968, he took over as farm manager for Citrus Management. When the two concerns combined in 1972, Pete became manager of 4500 acres of citrus, involving 65 groves, 37 water companies, and an army of smudgers when the freezes came. Most mornings, he would join other growers at the A&W for their "Mentone Coffee Club." In 1984, Pete personally incorporated Redlands Farming Co.

Soil conservation was a heavy concern for Pete throughout his lifetime, having witnessed the devastating effects of DDT early in his career. With each new pest that threatened California crops, he was a vocal advocate for environmentally sustainable protocols over quick fixes. In October 2025, he was honored with the Friend of Farm Bureau award. In the early 2000s, Pete made the momentous decision to transplant his groves with avocados, leading a trend in the area. With his treasured team, he worked the groves until his final day.

He is survived by his daughter, Jill Marcum. To plant trees in Director Marcum's memory, please visit the Sympathy Store:
https://tinyurl.com/2x69bnfe

(Excerpted from the Los Angeles Times, published Jun. 12 to Jun. 14, 2026.)

We're happy to share this upcoming workshop that is part of the SoCalGas Professional Landscape Series:

"Permeable Everywhere - Slow, Spread, Sink on Every Landscape"

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Class is FREE, but registration is required

How much rain did our landscape get? This webinar addresses strategies for answering that question: “All of it!” Capturing rainwater passively in the soils of a landscape offsets future irrigation demand, reduces or eliminates polluted runoff from getting into our local waterways, cools the planet, and sets up a feedback loop of carbon sequestration, reduced energy use, and restoration of the local weather cycle.

Topics include:

> Difference between Active and Passive Capture
> Simple calculations necessary for creating permeability
> Why Nature-based solutions (Very Low Impact Design) are applicable in every landscape
> Ideas for increasing permeability in existing landscapes and updating historical gardens
> Installing and maintaining permeable hardscapes
> Steps to improve infiltration rates on every landscape

REGISTER
https://greengardensgroup.com/g3-events/socal-gas-pro-series-permeable-everywhere-slow-spread-sink-on-every-landscape-260617/

Bonus: This class can be counted towards CEUs.

Sponsored by Southern California Gas Company in collaboration with
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

SoCal Gas Pro Series - Permeable Everywhere - Slow, Spread, & Sink On Every Landscape - G3, Green Gardens Group Join us Wednesday, June 17, 2026, for a free three- hour Live Zoom Webinar on, "Permeable Everywhere - Slow, Spread, & Sink on Every Landscape," hosted by

🔹 11th Annual Bucky Ball Good Egg Award 🔹

Thank you San Bernardino County Museum and the 11th Annual Bucky Ball! The District was honored with the Museum Foundation's 2026 Good Egg Award which recognizes organizations & individuals that demonstrate exemplary guidance and generosity in helping the Museum thrive. “The San Bernardino County Museum has been an incredible partner in our effort to provide water conservation education opportunities for the community through student field trips and a Waterwise garden project,” said General Manager Miller Vixie. “From day one I could not be more impressed with the leadership provided by Museum Director David Myers and Chief Deputy Tamara Serrao-Leiva.”

Photo Caption: (left to right) Abby Flores, Immediate Past President of the San Bernardino County Museum Foundation, Betsy Miller Vixie, District General Manager, Melody McDonald District Board President, and John Longville, District Director. Photo credit: San Bernardino County Museum Foundation

🔹 Closed-Loop AI Pilot 🔹
Last month, our Board's Finance & Administration Committee viewed a demonstration of a closed-loop AI system purpose-built to house and search a century of District records. The goal of the project is to ensure that 114 years of institutional history is thoughtfully categorized and catalogued, transforming District archives into a living resource that actively informs and strengthens the work the District does today – maximizing efficient delivery of recharge benefits to the community. To support this process the District is implementing a digital records management system for both historical as well as current District records.

🔹 USBR Advisory Committee 🔹
Our thanks to the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Applied Science Program for their generous award enabling us to convene the first Advisory Committee meeting for the Knowledge Systems Development to Build Recharge Capacity for the San Bernardino Basin grant.

Thanks also to our Advisory Team led by Alvar Escriva-Bou, with participants from the California Department of Water Resources, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, USLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Sacramento State University, UC Davis, Chino Basin Watermaster, UC Berkeley Extension, UC Merced, and Fresno State University. Their collective groundwater expertise is strengthening this important project's approach and analyses - and informing optimization of the managed aquifer recharge work at the district.

🔹 Rep. Aguilar Requests Recharge Funding 🔹

The District extends our gratitude to Representative Pete Aguilar from California’s 33rd Congressional District. Rep. Aguilar selected our proposed project to replace flow structures at 41 recharge basins at our Mill Creek Groundwater Recharge Facility, a Program for Expansion of Recharge Capacity alternative, for Fiscal Year 2027 Community Project Funding.

The grant-funded work will increase the maximum daily infiltration rate for groundwater recharge by 42%, capturing more local and State Water Project water during wet periods to build drought-proof groundwater storage for one million people who depend on the San Bernardino Basin aquifer for up to 70% of their water supply. By strengthening this low-cost, gravity-fed recharge system that keeps pumper rates below $20.00 per acre-foot, the project supports the economic stability and continued growth of the fastest-growing and most affordable region in Southern California.

https://aguilar.house.gov/community-project-funding/

=> We have an exciting new RFP for a 1 acre Waterwise Demonstration Garden at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands. Please apply by June 9 at 4:00pm. A non-mandatory pre-proposal site visit will take place on May 14 at 10:00 a.m. Additional instructions can be found at:
https://sbvwcd.org/document-repository/projects/procurement/

🔹 AI Policy Adopted 🔹
The District's Board of Directors recently approved an AI policy to guide the appropriate and responsible use of AI systems at the District. The policy establishes a practical framework for how AI tools may be used by District employees, Board members, and volunteers in support of the District’s work.

The policy's aim is to enable the District to thoughtfully leverage AI systems to improve internal efficiency and enhance service to the community while safeguarding public trust, protecting sensitive information, and ensuring alignment with the District’s mission of responsible groundwater stewardship.

“This is not about replacing people,” said General Manager Betsy Miller Vixie. “It is about intelligently embracing technology and becoming adept at using AI as a skill to utilize artificial intelligence in appropriate ways.” The policy emphasizes that AI will support - not replace - human expertise and includes requirements for meaningful human review of AI outputs particularly in technical scientific operational and public-facing functions to ensure accuracy accountability and reliability.