Engineering crews to begin soil testing near Erwin Lake for proposed Greenspot water project

Beginning around October 22, residents in the Erwin Lake area may see engineering crews from the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency (BBARWA) doing fieldwork for the proposed Greenspot Recharge Project.^[1] The work is expected to last about a week and is a design step, not the start of construction.^[1] For neighbors, that means some daytime equipment noise but no significant traffic impacts, according to the agency.^[1]

What crews will be doing

Engineers will conduct geotechnical testing to gather more information about soil and groundwater conditions.^[1] The results will help determine the potential size and location of recharge basins, the shallow areas where water would soak back into the ground.^[1]

Work is expected daily between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., with shallow excavations and exploratory drilling at several locations.^[1] BBARWA says no significant traffic impacts are anticipated, "although residents may hear intermittent equipment and vehicle noise."^[1]

What has and hasn't been decided

BBARWA's notice is explicit that the fieldwork is "part of the project's design process, not the start of construction."^[1] The agency also states that its Governing Board "has not approved funding or construction of the project."^[1] In other words, the testing is meant to inform a decision, not carry one out.

What the project would do

If approved, the Greenspot Recharge Project would purify highly treated wastewater and return it to the ground, which BBARWA says would keep more water in Big Bear Valley and help replenish the local groundwater supply.^[1] The agency estimates the project could add about 500 acre-feet of water annually, equivalent to the yearly use of about 2,700 average Big Bear Valley households.^[1]

Those figures are BBARWA's own estimates. The agency's notice does not include a project cost, a construction timeline, or a date when the board might take up funding, and it does not include comments from residents near the testing sites.

BBARWA invites residents to learn more and stay updated at BBARWA.org/Greenspot.^[1]